LIFE  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL 
of  CARROLLTON 


Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton 


LIFE  OF 

CHARLES  CARROLL 
of  CARROLLTON 


By 
LEWIS  A.  LEONARD 

of  The  Times-Union,  Albany,  N.  Y.,  Editorial  Staff 


*  Mr.  Carroll  was  as  good  as  he  was  great." 

/.  H.  B.  Latrobe 


NEW  YORK 

MOFFAT,  YARD  AND  COMPANY 
1918 


E. 
C 


Copyright,  1918 
BY  LEWIS  A.  LEONARD 


TO  THE  MEMORY 

of 
A  useful  citizen,  an  able  statesman  and  a  loyal  friend  — 

to  the  Memory  of 
HON.  JOHN  LEE  CARROLL 
Former  Governor  of  Maryland 

This  Book  is  respectfully  dedicated  by  one  who  knew  his  virtues, 

appreciated  his  friendship  and  recognized  his  great  ability 

[5] 


81)2101 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


PAGES 

Chapter   1.  The  Province   of  Maryland   as   the  First   Carroll 

Found  It 25 

2.  The  First  Carroll  in  the  Province  of  Maryland. . .     33 

3.  Downfall  of  the  Proprietary  Government  of  the 

Province   41 

4.  Charles  Carroll  of  Annapolis  in  the  Province 49 

5.  Student  Life  at  Le  Grand  —  Law  and  Love  in 

London  —  An  Interesting  Letter 59 

6.  Young  Charles  Prepares  for  His  Return  to  the 

Home  of  His  Childhood 71 

7.  Returns  to  America  and  Becomes  Charles  Carroll 

of  Carrollton 79 

8.  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  in  the  Character  of 

"  First  Citizen  " 87 

9.  Rumblings  of  Colonial  Discontent 97 

10.  Meeting    and    Work    of    the    First    Continental 

Congress  103 

11.  News  from  England  —  Trip  of  the  Commissioners 

to  Canada 113 

12.  Declaration    of    Independence  —  The    New    Con 

stitution  for  Maryland 123 

13.  Signing  the  Declaration  of  Independence  —  And 

the  Men  who  Signed  It 131 

14.  Work  on  National  and  State  Legislation  —  Death 

of  Father  and  Wife 141 

15.  With    Washington    and    His    Army    at    Valley 

Forge  —  The  Brewing  of  a  Conspiracy 151 

16.  The  Conway  Cabal  —  Charles  Carroll  of  Carroll- 

ton  Foils  the   Conspiracy  to   Displace  Wash 
ington    161 

17.  The  Peace  of  Paris  and  Conditions  Leading  to 

the  French  Alliance 173 

18.  Further  Details  of  and  Alliance  with  France 179 

19.  Robert    Morris    with    the    Aid    of    Carroll    and 

Others  Saves  the  Financial  Situation 189 

[7] 


8      CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

PAGES 

Chapter  20.  The     War     Nearing     an     End  — Mr.     Carroll's 

Interest  in  "  The  Maryland  Line  " 197 

21.  Early    Days    of    Peace  —  Mr.    Carroll    a    United 

States  Senator 203 

22.  Resigns  as  a  United  States  Senator  that  He  May 

Continue  as  a  Maryland  Senator 213 

23.  Attention  to  the  Estate  — Death  of  His  Son 223 

24.  Organizing  the  B.  &  0.  R.  R  —  Other  Incidents 

and  Activities  in  Public  Life 229 

25.  Birth  and  Development  of  the  United  States  Navy.  235 

26.  Louis  Le  Grand  College  Where  the  Spark  of  Lib 

erty  was  Fanned  into  a  Flame 241 

27.  Benevolence     and     Business  —  The     Washington 

Letter  251 

28.  Carrolls  of  the  Past  and  of  To-day 259 

29.  Declaration  of  Independence  as  Jefferson  Drew  It 

and  as  It  was  Passed .  .  .   265 


Appendix  277 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton Frontispiece 

The  Carroll  Arms 24 

Doughoregan  Manor,  Home  of  the  C-arrolls 32 

Entrance  to  the  Manor 64 

Interior  of  the  Manor  Home 64 

The  Chapel  at  Doughoregan  Manor 96 

St.  Charles  College  Founded  by  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton.  .  128 

Hon.  John  Lee  Carroll,  Governor  of  Maryland  in  1876 160 

The  Letter  of  Gen.  Washington  to  the  Catholics  of  America.  . .  .  256 
Fac-Simile  Copy  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence 264 

[9] 


SOURCES 


The  unpublished  letters  of  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton. 

Archives  of  the  State  of  Maryland,  printed  by  authority  of  the 
Legislature  of  the  State  under  the  direction  of  the  Maryland  Histor 
ical  Society. 

The  Calvert  papers. 

Maryland  records,  Colonial  and  Revolutionary,  County  and 
Church,  copied  by  Dr.  Gains  Marcus  Brumbaugh. 

Ridgley's  annals  of  Annapolis. 

Letters,  papers  and  personal  interviews  with  Mr.  J.  H.  B.  Latrobe, 
private  secretary  to  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton, 

History  of  Maryland,  the  Colonial  period  by  John  Leeds  Bozman. 

County  histories  and  other  local  histories  of  Maryland,  and  other 
States. 

Life  and  letters  of  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  by  Miss  Kate 
Mason  Rowland. 

[HI 


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 


The  thanks  of  the  author  for  valuable  suggestions,  information 
and  assistance  in  research  work  and  in  other  ways  are  due  and 
hereby  tendered  to 

Former  Governor  Martin  H.  Glynn  of  New  York. 

Mr.  William  G.  Roberts  of  Cincinnati,  0. 

Former  Governor  Edwin  Warfield  of  Maryland. 

Mr.  Gamble  Latrobe  of  Baltimore,  Md. 

Miss  Virginia  Scott  MacTavish  of  Rome,  Italy. 

Mrs.  Herbert  D.  Robbins  of  New  York. 

Mr.  John  E.  Semmes  of  Baltimore,  Md. 

Miss  Jennie  M.  Davis  of  New  York. 

Mr.  Charles  Bancroft  Carroll  of  Doughoregan  and  now  an 

officer  of  the  U.  S.  navy. 

Miss  Lizzie  Commerford  of  Middlefield,  Conn. 
Mr.  Frank  L.  Tolman  of  Albany,  N.  Y. 
Mr.  George  G.  Champlin  of  Albany,  N.  Y. 
Miss  Jessie  F.  Wheeler  of  Troy,  N.  Y. 
Mr.  Harry  G.  Michener,  President  of  The  Bank  of  North 

America,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
[12] 


PREFACE 

TO  THE 

LIFE  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

BY  FORMER 
GOVERNOR  MARTIN  H.  GLYNN 

OF  NEW  YORK 

This,  in  my  opinion,  is  a  book  which  should  be  in 
the  library  of  every  lover  of  American  history. 

Charles  Carroll  played  a  big  part  in  the  drama  of 
American  Independence,  a  far  bigger  part  than  is 
popularly  supposed.  School  histories  dismiss  him  with 
a  few  lines  and  most  histories  give  larger  space  to  men 
who  played  far  minor  parts.  For  this  reason  his 
torical  justice  has  never  been  fully  accorded  to  Charles 
Carroll.  This  book  corrects  that  injustice.  Its  author, 
a  Marylander  by  birth,  with  the  zeal  and  enthusiasm 
of  a  native  son  for  his  own  heath,  its  traditions  and 
its  men  of  note,  has  given  years  to  the  research 
needed  to  unearth  such  a  mine  of  historical  knowledge. 
And  with  him  it  has  been  a  labor  of  love.  His  for 
bears  were  intimately  connected  with  the  Carrolls  and 
so  Mr.  Leonard  has  more  than  musty  old  records  for 
the  source  of  his  inspiration.  I  believe  that  he  has 
done  simple  justice  to  the  name  and  fame  of  Charles 
Carroll  and  nothing  more.  The  great  pity  is,  it  was 
not  done  years  ago. 

George  Washington  had  no  truer,  no  stauncher 
friend  than  Charles  Carroll,  though  the  world  has 
partially  blinked  the  fact.  Others  of  the  Colonial 
fathers  might  waver  here,  and  falter  there,  but  Charles 
Carroll  always  upheld  the  hands  of  Washington  as 
Aaron  and  Hur  upheld  the  hands  of  Moses  in  his 
battle  with  Amalek.  In  this  country  Charles  Carroll 

[13] 


:M '    £HABLES  CAEEOLL  OF  CAEEOLLTON 

saw  the  Promised  Land  for  which  sages  had  sighed 
and  philosophers  had  dreamed  and  for  it  he  risked 
his  all  on  the  turn  of  the  Eevolutionary  die,  and  his 
all  was  more  in  worldly  goods  than  any  other  signer  of 
the  Declaration  of  Independence. 

Charles  Carroll  was  a  democrat  by  nature  as  well 
as  by  name.  His  opinions  prove  it,  his  acts  prove  it. 
Educated  in  the  atmosphere  of  France  wherefrom 
came  the  great  champions  of  Modern  Democracy, 
Charles  Carroll  fought  in  America  for  what  he  learned 
in  France.  Lafayette,  DeGrasse,  Vergennes,  and 
DeVal  were  all  educated  as  Carroll  was  educated  and 
as  they  thought  on  Democracy,  so  thought  Charles 
Carroll. 

The  world  will  never  know  how  much  the  United 
States  owes  to  Charles  Carroll  for  the  help  we  received 
in  France  in  the  Eevolutionary  War.  Benjamin 
Franklin  and  Charles  Carroll  were  always  the  closest 
friends  and  he  who  thinks  as  he  reads  can  easily  dis 
cern  that  the  men  who  helped  Franklin  most  in  France 
were  the  men  responsive  to  the  old  associations  of  the 
Carrolls  in  France. 

Of  Charles  Carroll  it  can  be  said  that  his  history 
is  the  history  of  the  Maryland  of  his  day  and  from 
Maryland  his  influence  radiated  far  and  wide  through 
out  the  land. 

In  the  old  method  of  general  historical  writing  where 
one  man  attempted  the  impossible  task  of  writing  his 
tory  in  its  entirety,  the  work  and  worth  of  men  like 
Charles  Carroll  did  not  loom  up  in  their  proper  pros 
pective..  In  such  impressionistic  history  they  were 
dwarfed  by  the  splendor  of  those  performing  more 
•spectacular  parts.  But  under  the  monograph  system 
sponsored  by  Lord  Acton  of  Cambridge  University, 
such  historical  injustice  is  fast  passing  away.  This 
book  is  such  a  monograph.  It  is  a  valuable  contribution 


PREFACE  15 

to  American  history.     It  does  justice  to  a  man  to  whom 
Americans  owe  an  ineffable  debt  of  gratitude. 

I  have  watched  this  book  grow  since  pencil  first 
touched  its  paper ;  and,  if  others  get  as  much  pleasure 
from  its  perusal  as  I  have  from  its  companionship, 
they  will  have  in  it  a  happy  acquisition. 

MARTIN  H.  GLYNN. 


INTRODUCTION 


CHARLES  CARROLL  of  Carrollton  easily 
ranked  next  to  Washington  in  the  value  of 
the  services  rendered  the  patriot  cause  in  our 
Revolutionary  struggle. 

He  devoted  more  of  his  time  and  more  of  his 
money  to  the  cause  of  the  people  than  any  other 
patriot. 

He  spent  more  time  with  Washington  at  army 
headquarters  than  any  other  civilian,  and  was  more 
closely  identified  with  the  purposes,  impulses  and 
activities  of  the  great  commander  than  any  other  man 
in  or  out  of  the  army. 

He  served  the  people  in  more  different  positions  of 
responsibility  and  usefulness  than  did  any  other  man, 
and  never  failed  in  a  single  instance,  to  measure  up 
to  the  highest  standard  of  statesmanship  and  patriot 
ism. 

During  the  critical  year  of  1776  he  was  a  member 
of  Congress,  a  member  of  the  Maryland  Assembly, 
Member  of  the  Convention  to  draw  a  new  constitu 
tion  for  the  state,  member  of  three  different  pro 
vincial  committees,  member  of  the  War  Board 
charged  with  the  conduct  of  the  war,  and  a  commis 
sioner  from  the  United  States  to  Canada.  And  in 
every  position  he  was  either  the  most  active,  or  one 
of  the  most  active  in  the  work.  In  addition  to  these 
duties  that  year,  he  was  the  most  successful  man  in 
his  county  in  collecting  coin  to  be  sent  to  the  soldiers 
in  Canada,  and  was  superintending  the  erection  of 
saltpeter  works  for  producing  gun  powder.  It  is  not 

[17] 


18  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

necessary  to  add  that  he  gave  every  moment  of  his 
time  to  the  public. 

He  was  the  richest  man  that  signed  The  Declaration 
of  Independence,  the  first  man  that  signed,  the  most 
useful  man  that  signed,  the  only  Roman  Catholic  that 
signed,  and  the  last  man  to  die  of  those  who  signed  it. 

These  are  a  few  of  the  many  reasons  that  have  con 
vinced  me  that  full  justice  has  never  been  done  to 
the  memory  of  the  noblest  citizen  of  my  native  state. 

The  work  of  preparing  this  book  is  in  pursuance  of 
a  long  cherished  purpose.  The  Carroll  history  and 
traditions  have  been  familiar  to  me  from  the  time  of 
my  early  youth.  My  grandfather  and  his  father  were 
closely  associated  for  a  great  many  years  with 
Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  in  an  important  busi 
ness  enterprise;  and  my  father  knew  the  famous 
signer  as  well  as  a  boy  of  thirteen  would  be  likely  to 
know  an  elderly  man.  It  was  in  this  way  that  my 
knowledge  of,  and  interest  in  the  Carroll  family  com 
menced  as  soon  as  I  was  old  enough  to  give  thought 
to  such  affairs.  The  feeling  that  I  ought  put  in 
shape  the  facts  at  my  command  grew  as  I  saw  others 
better  qualified  for  the  work  pass  away. 

During  the  winter  of  1865-66  I  was  a  law  student 
in  the  office  of  I.  C.  W.  Powell,  an  eminent  lawyer  of 
Easton,  Md.  The  firm  of  Johnson  &  Kerr  of  Balti 
more  attended  to  Court  of  Appeals  business  for  Mr. 
Powell,  and  I  was  a  great  deal  in  their  office.  Mr. 
Reverdy  Johnson  was  a  United  States  Senator  from 
Maryland,  and  his  son-in-law,  Mr.  Charles  Kerr,  a 
native  of  our  county,  was  a  close  friend  of  Mr.  Powell 
and  of  Mr.  J.  H.  B.  Latrobe.  In  this  way  I  made  the 
acquaintance  of  Mr.  Latrobe.  He  had  office  room 
with  Johnson  &  Kerr,  and  was  busy  at  the  time  revis 
ing  his  law  book,  "  Justice  Practice  in  Maryland  " 
and  I  helped  him  whenever  I  could  in  this  work. 


INTRODUCTION  19 

Mr.  Latrobe  was  for  many  years  private  secretary  to 
Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton,  and  wrote  the  life  of 
Mr.  Carroll  for  Sanderson's  Lives  of  the  Signers  of 
the  Declaration  of  Independence.  This  work  as  pre 
pared  by  him  made  85  pages  of  manuscript  and  would 
have  been  about  85  pages  in  Sanderson's  book.  But 
after  Mr.  Carroll  had  cut  out  all  he  thought  ought  to 
be  cut  out,  and  Sanderson  had  cut  out  all  he  thought 
ought  to  be  cut  out,  but  21  pages  were  left.  This 
presented  but  a  meagre  and  inadequate  telling  of  a 
great  story.  Mr.  Latrobe  explained  that  Mr.  Carroll 
was  living  at  the  time  and  added,  ' t  You  know,  no 
man's  biography  can  be  written  properly  during  his 
life  time."  Mr.  Latrobe  read  me  the  original  manu 
script  two  or  three  times  and  commented  on  various 
phases  of  it.  He  also  had  very  full  notes  of  Mr. 
Carroll's  work  in  connection  with  our  relation  with 
France.  It  was  his  intention  to  write  a  volume  on 
the  French  Alliance,  and  with  that  purpose  in  view 
he  had  secured  valuable  papers  original  and  copies 
from  France.  My  interest  in  the  matter  by  reason 
of  the  association  of  my  family  with  the  Carrolls 
made  Mr.  Latrobe  the  more  ready  to  talk  to  me  on 
the  subject.  At  that  time  Mr.  Latrobe  appeared  to 
me  to  be  the  ablest,  best  posted  and  most  versatile 
man  I  had  ever  met.  Literally,  he  seemed  to  know 
everything  on  every  subject,  and  to  be  able  to  tell  it 
in  a  most  entertaining  manner.  Each  time  I  met 
him,  he  had  a  new  fund  of  entertaining  information. 
It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  no  man  in  my  entire 
life  ever  impressed  me  as  did  Mr.  J.  H.  B.  Latrobe. 
Sometimes  I  have  thought  it  might  be  merely  my 
boyish  admiration  for  an  older  man  who  seemed  to 
take  me  so  fully  into  his  confidence ;  yet  when  I  recall 
the  things  he  said,  the  subjects  he  discussed,  the 
information  he  imparted;  I  am  still  impressed  with 


20  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

the  belief  in  his  great  ability.  It  was  from  this  man 
who  was  so  close  to  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  for 
so  many  years,  and  who  loved  him  so  well,  that  I 
drew  the  inspiration  that  impelled  the  writing  of 
this  book.  One  day  in  speaking  of  the  venerable 
signer,  I  asked  how  he  ranked  as  compared  with 
Senator  Johnson.  He  did  not  directly  answer  the 
question,  but  said  after  a  pause,  li  I  know  of  no  man 
of  the  present  generation  who  could  anywhere  near 
rank  with  him  in  the  essentials  of  real  greatness.  He 
had  unusual  opportunities  and  he  made  the  most  of 
them.  I  think  of  Mr.  Carroll  as  Burke  said  of  Pitt, 
'  You  couldn't  go  under  a  shed  with  him  out  of  the 
rain,  without  feeling  that  you  were  in  the  presence  of 
greatness. '  Then  he  reverently  added,  ' '  and  what 
is  more  Mr.  Carroll  was  as  good  as  he  was  great." 
It  was  mainly  to  give  an  idea  of  the  value  of  this 
opinion  that  I  told  so  fully  what  manner  of  man 
Mr.  Latrobe  actually  was.  When  I  next  saw  him 
after  that  winter,  some  years  had  elapsed.  His  son, 
Gen.  Ferdinand  C.  Latrobe,  was  Mayor  of  Baltimore 
for  the  second,  third  or  fourth  time,  but  his  father 
seemed  as  vigorous,  entertaining  and  lovable  as  ever. 
I  expressed  the  hope  that  if  he  did  not  write  the 
things  he  had  in  mind,  he  would  leave  his  papers  so 
that  his  son  could  do  so ;  but  he  replied,  ' '  Ferdinand 
is  too  busy  with  the  present  and  future  to  care  much 
about  the  past."  However  the  papers  have  fallen 
into  competent  and  loving  hands ;  and  besides  the  use 
that  has  already  been  made  of  them  the  country  is  to 
have  a  life  of  that  most  able,  estimable  and  lovable 
of  men,  J.  H.  B.  Latrobe.  That  he  wrote  history, 
invented  a  stove,  experimented  with  electricity  and 
chemistry,  and  was  one  of  the  best  lawyers  of  the 
state,  being  for  years  attorney  for  the  B.  &  0.  Rail 
road,  is  pretty  good  evidence  of  his  ability  and  versa- 


INTRODUCTION  21 

tility.  His  father  was  a  man  of  great  worth  and 
experience  and  the  son  had  fully  lived  up  to  the 
opportunities  that  had  been  afforded  him. 

Reading  the  voluminous  correspondence  of  Charles 
Carroll  of  Carrollton,  one  is  impressed  with  the 
great  industry,  ability  and  usefulness  of  the  man,  but 
is  still  more  struck  with  the  vein  of  genuine  piety  that 
runs  through  his  busy  career.  He  never  forgot  his 
religion,  never  faltered  in  his  abiding  faith  in  God. 
As  I  read,  I  caught  myself  repeating  Mr.  Latrobe's 
remark  of  years  ago,  "  He  was  as  good  as  he  was 
great. " 

Mr.  Carroll's  life  has  never  been  written.  The 
twenty-one  pages  in  "  Sanderson's  Lives  "  tell  but 
little,  and  told  that  before  his  career  was  ended.  The 
valuable  work  of  Miss  Kate  Mason  Rowland  is 
devoted  mainly  to  making  a  record  of  the  Carroll 
letters  and  documents  and  in  that  way  represents 
great  labor:  and  is  a  work  that  will  be  used  by 
scholars  in  all  times.  It  was  in  no  sense  intended  as 
a  commercial  enterprise,  but  was  issued  in  a  small 
edition  at  the  expense  of  the  family  for  their  own 
satisfaction;  as  well  as  for  the  use  of  future  histor 
ians.  These,  with  some  short  sketches  mainly  in 
state  histories  and  religious  books,  comprise  all  that 
has  been  told  of  a  man  who  certainly  deserves  to 
rank  as  one  of  the  very  greatest  of  his  own  or  any 
other  age. 

In  telling  the  life  story  of  one  whose  time  was  so 
fully  given  to  the  public,  it  is  necessary  to  recount 
much  of  the  history  of  the  days  in  which  he  lived. 
Any  one  doing  this  kind  of  work  will  be  struck  by 
the  many  discrepancies  encountered  in  what  he  had 
been  led  to  consider  reliable  authorities.  Where  such 
differences  are  found,  it  is  necessary  to  go  back  to 
original  sources  of  information  when  this  can  be 


22  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

done;  and  where  this  is  not  possible,  one  must  be 
guided  by  the  weight  of  authority  taken  in  connection 
with  all  the  surrounding  circumstances.  This  I  have 
endeavored  to  do.  I  realize  too,  the  danger  of  writing 
history  not  found  in  the  school  books;  being  fully 
aware  that  the  most  confident  critics  are  those  whose 
knowledge  of  history  is  derived  from  the  books  they 
read  at  school.  A  historian  once  said,  "  After  one 
has  spent  weeks  trying  to  settle  a  point  to  his  satis 
faction,  he  is  likely  to  meet  a  man  at  dinner  who  can 
tell  him  all  about  it  in  five  minutes  with  one  hand 
tied  behind  him." 

Studying  Mr.  Carroll  carefully  and  weighing  his 
letters,  documents  and  the  records  of  his  whole  life 
as  seen  by  his  co-temporaries  one  is  likely  to  think 
of  him  much  as  Mr.  Latrobe  did.  Endowed  with  a 
fine  mind  he  had  every  advantage  which  good  health, 
great  industry  and  unlimited  means  could  give. 
When  he  returned  to  Maryland  in  his  twenty-sixth 
year  to  take  his  place  in  the  Province,  he  not  only 
knew  books;  but  he  had  studied  men  and  conditions 
in  the  principal  countries  of  Europe,  and  he  was  a 
well  educated  man  in  a  much  broader  sense  than  is 
implied  by  that  term  today.  The  position  of  leader 
ship  which  he  won  as  "  First  Citizen  "  on  entering 
public  life,  he  held  to  the  end  of  his  career. 

In  personal  appearance  Mr.  Carroll  was  a  small 
man,  with  bright  blue  eyes,  and  clean  cut  rather  sharp 
features.  It  was  noted  that  one  of  Maryland's 
signers  was  the  smallest  man  physically  of  the  group, 
and  another  the  largest.  Mr.  Carroll  weighed  about 
125  pounds  and  Chase  standing  six  feet  two  weighed 
over  250;  and  the  two  were  the  closest  and  most  in 
separable  of  friends. 

Though  associated  so  closely  and  so  prominently 
with  colonial  and  revolutionary  days  Mr.  Carroll's 


INTRODUCTION  23 

long  life  brought  him  closer  to  the  present  generation 
than  one  would  think.,  He  had  not  been  dead  thirty 
years  when  the  civil  war  began.  Many  of  the  old 
people  of  my  younger  days,  had  met  him  and  some 
like  Mr.  Latrobe,  Judge  Chambers,  General  Tench 
Tilghman,  Governor  Thomas  and  Governor  Sam 
Stevens  knew  him  well. 

LEWIS  A.  LEONARD. 

ALBANY,  N.  Y.,  December  1, 1917. 


THE  MARYLAND  CARROLLS 

During  the  revolutionary  period  of  the  province  of 
Maryland  there  were  six  members  of  the  Carroll  family 
in  active  political  work  on  the  side  of  the  patriots. 

They  were  Charles  Carroll  of  Annapolis,  and  his 
son  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton ;  Daniel  Carroll,  who 
was  a  member  of  the  Maryland  assembly,  president  of 
the  Senate,  member  of  Congress  and  one  of  the  makers 
and  signers  of  the  federal  constitution;  Rev.  John 
Carroll  one  of  the  United  States  Commissioners  to 
Canada  and  the  first  Bishop  and  first  archbishop  in 
this  Country.  He  was  the  brother  of  Daniel  and 
cousin  of  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton.  Then  there 
was  Charles  Carroll,  Barrister  who  was  a  member  of 
Congress,  of  the  State  Senate  and  of  various  Colonial 
and  State  Committees.  The  sixth  Carroll,  was  Henry 
James  Carroll  who  married  Elizabeth  Barnes  of 
Kingston  Hall,  Somerset  county.  He  was  the  son  of 
Henry  Carroll  of  Susquehanna  Manor  in  St.  Mary's 
but  moved  to  the  Eastern  shore  just  before  the  break 
ing  out  of  the  revolution  and  was  an  active  patriot  in 
that  part  of  the  State.  His  grandson  Thomas  King 
Carroll,  was  governor  of  Maryland  in  1830-1831. 

[24] 


CARROLL  ARMS. 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 


CHAPTER  I 

THE    PROVINCE    OP    MARYLAND    AS    THE    FIRST 
CARROLL  FOUND  IT 

The  government  which  Lord  Baltimore  gave  to  the 
Colony  of  Maryland  was  not  only  the  most  liberal  and 
the  fairest  that  the  world  had  known  up  to  that  time, 
but  it  was  peculiar  and  novel  as  well  as  most  fascinat 
ing.  It  was  the  fascination  of  this  government  as  well 
as  its  liberality  that  caused  settlers  from  all  directions 
to  flock  to  the  province. 

George  Calvert,  the  first  Lord  Baltimore,  was  no 
novice  in  either  statecraft  or  the  work  of  planting  a 
colony.  He  had  the  advantage  of  experience  in  both 
lines  of  work  before  the  Maryland  undertaking  was 
considered. 

Although  his  conversion  to  the  Catholic  faith  had 
caused  the  forfeiture  of  his  official  positions,  it  in  no 
way  seemed  to  lessen  the  regard  and  confidence  that 
his  Sovereign  had  in  him.  It  was,  therefore,  mainly  by 
reason  of  his  high  standing,  lofty  character  and  great 
ability  that  he  was  enabled  to  secure  a  concession  or 
charter  for  the  territory,  which  became  the  Province  of 
Maryland;  of  a  nature  different  from  any  concession 
that  had  ever  been  made.  He  became  the  absolute 
owner  of  the  territory.  All  titles  had  to  come  from 
him.  He  arranged  the  plan  of  government  and  was 
the  source  of  all  power,  and  the  maker  of  all  laws.  No 
one,  not  even  the  King  had  to  be  consulted  in  the 
management  of  the  Province  and  its  people. 

[25] 


26  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

Although  George  Calvert,  the  first  Lord  Baltimore, 
died  before  any  of  his  plans  could  be  put  into  opera 
tion,  the  whole  scheme  was  the  result  of  his  experience 
and  deep  thought. 

Previous  to  the  Maryland  charter,  Lord  Baltimore 
had  established  a  settlement  in  Newfoundland.  First, 
this  was  merely  an  estate,  then  a  settlement  and  finally 
a  colony.  This  effort  was  a  kind  of  experimental 
school.  He  called  the  settlement  Avalon  and  its  capital 
city  was  Annapolis ;  the  first  Annapolis.  Though  the 
climate  was  hard,  and  the  soil  rough  and  unproductive, 
the  colony  flourished,  till  news  of  the  beautiful  loca 
tion,  rich  soil,  and  mild  climate  of  the  Maryland  con 
cession  caused  dissatisfaction  and  made  many  of  the 
colonists  want  to  move  south.  They  were  humored  in 
this  desire  and  nearly  two  hundred  of  them  were 
brought  down  the  coast  under  command  of  Nathaniel 
Leonard,  cousin  of  Lord  Baltimore,  who  had  suc 
ceeded  John  Wyatt  as  Governor  of  Avalon.  These 
reached  Maryland  two  months  after  the  Ark  and  the 
Dove  had  brought  Lord  Baltimore 's  first  settlers  to  the 
Chesapeake,  and  there  formed  the  first  considerable 
accession  to  the  new  colony.  But  Avalon  survived  the 
loss  of  so  many  of  its  people  and  was  made  a  division 
of  Maryland  to  which  it  paid  fealty  of  a  bushel  of 
grain  and  twelve  arrow  heads  each  year  as  long  as  the 
proprietary  government  existed,  or  till  about  the  time 
just  previous  to  our  Revolutionary  War. 

The  death  of  George  Calvert  left  the  colony  as  an 
inheritance  to  his  son,  Cecelius  Calvert,  who  appointed 
his  brother,  Leonard  Calvert,  Governor  of  the  Prov 
ince  and  manager  of  his  affairs.  The  first  Lord  Bal 
timore  had  matured  his  plans  so  carefully,  and  had  so 
fully  arranged  all  the  details  of  government  and 
management,  that  it  was  only  necessary  to  consult 


THE  PROVINCE  OF  MARYLAND          27 

instructions  and  be  prepared  to  meet  new  conditions 
as  they  arose.  And  the  new  conditions  did  arise  thick 
and  fast.  The  colony  was  assailed  from  without  and 
within  by  enemies  in  London  and  neighbors  in  Vir 
ginia.  But  a  detail  of  these  is  not  necessary  for  the 
purposes  of  this  effort.  In  spite  of  all  these  obstacles 
the  colony  grew  and  developed  and  the  laws,  customs 
and  manner  of  living  were  carried  out,  much  as  out 
lined  by  the  original  Proprietor.  The  Province  was 
divided  into  counties  and  the  counties  into  hundreds. 
Grants  of  land  were  made  to  gentlemen  and  the  size  of 
the  grant  depended  on  the  number  of  followers, 
attendants  or  subtenants  which  the  gentleman  could 
command. 

There  was  no  idea  of  democracy  as  we  understand 
it;  yet  the  charter  provided  that  the  Governor  should 
consult  the  people  in  the  making  of  laws.  The  manner 
of  this  consultation  was  left  entirely  to  the  Lord 
Proprietor  or  the  Governor  appointed  by  him. 

But  the  Governor  seems  to  have  been  fair  and  liberal 
in  all  things  and  no  conflict  between  him  and  the 
Assembly  occurred.  The  Assembly  was  elected  by  the 
gentlemen  who  were  the  large  land  owners  and  known 
as  Lords  of  the  Manor.  Each  manor  was  a  tract  of 
many  thousands  of  acres,  not  less  than  2,000;  either 
cultivated  by  the  Lord  of  the  Manor  or  let  to  sub 
tenants.  The  Manor  House  was  the  head  of  the  settle 
ment  and  the  owner  as  Lord  of  the  Manor,  was  a  kind 
of  magistrate.  He  held  Manor  Court  for  the  settle 
ment  of  disputes  between  the  Lord  of  the  Manor  and 
his  tenants  or  followers  and  Leet  court  for  the  adjust 
ment  of  matters  between  these  tenants. 

The  Manor  House  was  the  social  centre;  and  the 
Lords  and  Ladies  of  the  Manor  engaged  in  such  sports 
and  social  accomplishments  as  they  learned  in  England 


28     CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

and  Ireland  or  had  been  developed  as  a  result  of  condi 
tions  in  the  new  world.  These  social  doings  took  such 
a  hold,  that  after  other  features  of  colonial  life  had 
been  supplanted,  the  people  held  fast  to  many  of  them. 
The  house  party  at  the  Manor,  the  hunt,  the  regatta, 
the  riding  tournament  claimed  places  in  the  social  life 
of  Maryland  till  after  the  Civil  War. 

And  these  Manor  Lords  had  each  his  coat  of  arms 
and  the  province  boasted  of  its  own  flag,  as  artistic  and 
pretty  a  banner  as  any  people  ever  unfolded  to  the 
breeze. 

The  introduction  of  slavery  which  warped  the  plans 
of  Manor  life  in  many  respects  did  not  materially 
lessen  the  social  features.  Lord  Baltimore  did  not  con 
template  an  ideal  republic  nor  conceive  of  a  democracy ; 
but  his  ambition  was  to  found  an  aristocratic  state 
where  the  people  would  be  prosperous  and  happy,  and 
where  all  would  enjoy  the  full  measure  of  that  liberty 
for  which  each  was  fitted.  It  is  believed  by  many  that 
he  contemplated  conferring  patents  of  nobility.  His 
laws  provided  that  the  Lord  of  the  Manor  should  be 
addressed  as  Esquire  and  other  landowners  as  Mister. 

But  above  all  he  made  it  clear  that  the  fullest 
measure  of  religious  liberty  should  be  enjoyed.  His 
motto  was  '  '  toleration  for  all  religion  that  accepts  the 
divinity  of  Jesus  Christ;  but  the  establishment  of 
none. ' ' 

His  laws  also  provided  that  no  church  or  religious 
body  should  become  the  holder  of  a  large  tract  of  land 
nor  should  any  minister,  priest  or  preacher  be  eligible 
as  a  member  of  the  Assembly.  These  principles  took 
such  a  hold  on  the  people  of  the  colony  that  they  were 
grafted  on  the  laws  of  Maryland  after  the  Revolution, 
and  their  influence  is  seen  on  the  statute  books  to  the 
present  day. 


THE  PROVINCE  OF  MARYLAND  29 

While  Massachusetts  and  the  other  Puritan  colonies 
were  persecuting  Quakers,  selling  them  into  slavery  in 
Jamaica  because  of  their  religious  belief,  and  per 
suasively  using  a  hot  iron  on  the  tip  of  the  tongue  to 
convince  them  of  the  error  of  their  beliefs ;  and  while 
Boston  was  going  so  far  as  to  tie  a  clergyman  to  the 
tail  of  a  cart  and  whip  him  through  the  streets  as  an 
argument  against  immersion  as  a  religious  rite,  and 
the  Colony  of  Virginia  was  expelling  the  Puritans ;  the 
Province  of  Maryland,  through  its  Assembly  and  at 
the  instance  of  the  Lord  Proprietor  was  proclaiming 
religious  liberty;  the  motto  from  the  first,  being  "  tol 
eration  for  all  religions  and  the  establishment  of 
none. ' ' 

While  these  principles  had  prevailed  from  the  first, 
on  April  21,  1649,  the  Assembly  at  the  instance  of  the 
Proprietor  passed  the  following  law  to  make  the 
matter  entirely  clear : 

No  person  professing  to  believe  in  Jesus  Christ 
shall  from  henceforth  be  any  ways  troubled, 
molested  or  discountenanced  for,  or  in  respect  of 
his  or  her  religion ;  nor  in  the  free  exercise  thereof 
within  this  Province  nor  in  any  way  be  compelled 
to  the  belief  or  exercise  of  any  other  religion 
against  his  or  her  consent. 

The  act  further  provided  that  '  *  if  any  person  shall 
willfully  wrong  another  person  because  of  his  religion, 
he  shall  be  compelled  to  pay  treble  damages  to  the 
person  so  wronged.  And  if  the  wrong  doer  shall  refuse 
or  be  unable  to  pay  damages,  he  shall  be  publicly 
whipped  and  imprisoned/7 

The  enunciation  of  these  principles  brought  to  the 
Province  people  of  all  shades  of  religious  views  and  it 
isn't  to  the  credit  of  the  new  comers  that  as  soon  as 


30     CHAELES  CAEEOLL  OF  CAEEOLLTON 

they  found  themselves  in  the  majority  and  had  tem 
porarily  wrested  the  government  from  the  hands  of 
the  Lord  Proprietor  they  made  laws  disfranchising  and 
oppressing  the  Catholics.  The  ups  and  downs  of  these 
struggles  make  a  story  too  tedious  to  be  told  in  this 
connection,  but  no  part  of  it  reflects  discredit  on  any 
of  the  early  descendants  or  followers  of  the  Lord  Pro 
prietor.  Loyal  and  intelligent  Marylanders  of  to-day 
and  of  all  opinions  regardless  of  religion,  are  proud 
of  the  records  of  the  early  Calvert  family  made  in 
carrying  out  the  views  and  wishes  of  the  first  Lord 
Baltimore. 

Maryland  was  in  no  sense  a  penal  colony.  The 
people  were  required  to  be  citizens  of  respectability 
from  the  first.  No  gentleman  was  permitted  to  bring 
as  tenant,  retainer,  or  follower  any  one  who  had  been 
convicted  or  seriously  charged  with  crime. 

The  Province  grew  in  wealth  and  importance  and 
its  social  features  became  known  as  distinctive  and 
unique  even  in  that  day.  There  were  twelve  counties ; 
each  a  little  province  of  itself  and  as  the  Lords  of  the 
Manor  gave  attention  to  agriculture,  education  and 
social  affairs,  the  attendants  and  tenants  labored, 
builded,  planted  and  reaped ;  developing  the  new  coun 
try  much  after  the  manner  outlined  in  the  dreams  of 
the  first  Lord  of  the  Province  and  aiming  at  his  ideals. 
Just  as  you  trace  the  Puritan  strain  in  New  England, 
the  Huguenot  in  New  York,  the  Quaker  element  in 
Pennsylvania,  the  Cavalier  tone  in  Virginia  and  the 
Carolinas,  so  you  find  the  ideals  and  traditions  of  the 
Irish  predominating  in  old  Maryland.  And  these  tra 
ditions  were  of  the  most  lofty  that  human  nature,  as 
then  developed,  was  capable  of  enjoying.  These  con 
ditions  produced  such  a  state  of  government  and 
secured  to  all  such  liberty  and  happiness  as  seemed 
well  suited  to  that  day  and  that  stage  of  civilization. 


THE  PROVINCE  OF  MARYLAND  31 

There  was  not  in  the  mind  of  any,  an  ideal  of  democracy 
as  developed  later.  The  condition  was  pleasing,  aris 
tocratic  and  satisfying;  and  was  well  in  advance  of 
anything  that  civilization  had  so  far  produced.  It 
seemed  at  that  day  a  satisfactory  and  progressive  state 
of  society.  Slavery  had  not  yet  thrown  its  shadow  on 
the  country;  but,  when  it  came  later  to  Maryland  as 
it  came  to  the  other  colonies,  it  warped  the  conditions 
and  greatly  changed  the  trend  of  events.  But  at  this 
time,  it  had  not  yet  appeared  and  the  settlers  were 
happy  in  their  own  ways.  Of  the  people  themselves 
who  made  up  this  settlement  one  of  Maryland's  his 
torians  says  in  reply  to  certain  criticisms  of  their  nar 
rowness,  "  in  the  sincerity  of  their  friendships,  in  the 
depth  of  their  religious  conviction,  in  the  strength  of 
their  domestic  affections  and  in  general  reverence  for 
things  sacred,  our  forefathers  far  outshine  the  men 
of  this  generation  with  all  its  pomp  and  pride  of 
civilization. ' ' 

It  was  to  such  a  people  and  under  such  social, 
political  and  religious  conditions  that  the  first  Charles 
Carroll  came  from  Kings  County,  Ireland,  in  1688, 
with  the  hope  of  peacefully  enjoying  his  religion,  his 
liberty  and  his  wealth. 


•s, 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  FIRST  CHARLES  CARROLL  IN  THE  PROVINCE 
OF  MARYLAND 

Charles  Carroll,  the  son  of  Daniel,  after  his  admis 
sion  to  the  Bar,  settled  in  London  and  soon  became  the 
secretary  of  Lord  Powis  who  had  become  an  earnest 
friend  of  Lord  Baltimore  and  deeply  interested  in  the 
Maryland  project.  Charles  Carroll,  the  young  lawyer 
of  the  Inner  Temple  and  secretary  to  Lord  Powis,  had 
not  yet  come  into  his  estates.  His  father  still  lived 
and  occupied  the  family  heritage  in  Litterlouna  in 
Kings  County,  Ireland,  and  to  this  home  Charles 
doubtless  went  frequently  to  discuss  his  future  with 
his  father  and  the  other  members  of  the  family.  It 
was  a  fine  estate  overlooking  the  valley  where  the  beau 
tiful  Shannon  flows,  and  not  "  a  long  way  from  Tip- 
perary  "  for  that  county  of  cherry  songs  and  beauti 
ful  traditions  was  just  across  the  river,  and  the  0 'Car- 
rolls  of  old  had  spread  all  over  the  region.  The  home 
where  Daniel  Carroll  resided  and  where  the  first 
Charles  of  our  line  was  born  is  still  standing,  or  was 
not  many  years  ago.  It  passed  into  the  hands  of  a 
family  named  Parsons  and  about  1820  Mr.  Parsons 
had  the  old  mansion  rebuilt  and  the  estates  put  in  the 
best  of  order  in  all  respects. 

During  the  year  1826  the  granddaughter  of  Charles 
Carroll  of  Carrollton,  who  had  married  the  Duke  of 
Wellesley,  lately  made  the  Viceroy  of  Ireland,  visited 
the  place  and  was  entertained  in  the  old  home.  It  was 
on  the  occasion  of  this  visit  that  the  Bishop  of  London 
in  a  speech  of  welcome,  said  "  to  the  land  from  which 
your  ancestors  fled  as  exiles,  you  return  to  reign  a 
Queen. " 

2  [33] 


34     CHAELES  CAEEOLL  OF  CAEEOLLTON 

But  things  in  Kings  County  were  made  very  unpleas 
ant  for  the  Carrolls  in  1687  on  account  of  the  persecu 
tion  of  Catholics  at  that  time;  and  the  secretary  to 
Lord  Powis  began  to  make  plans  for  coming  to  the 
Province.  In  these  ideas  he  was  encouraged  by  Lord 
Baltimore  who  had  become  impressed  with  the  ability 
and  versatility  of  the  young  man;  as  well  by  Lord 
Powis  who  saw  for  him  a  future  in  Maryland  which 
under  all  the  circumstances  he  could  not  hope  for  in 
London  or  in  Ireland.  He  was  doubtless  encouraged  in 
this  by  his  father  who  began  disposing  of  some  prop 
erties  with  the  idea  of  being  able  to  see  his  son  well 
settled  in  the  new  world.  Charles  was  a  younger  son 
and,  of. course,  the  bulk  of  the  estate  would  go  to  the 
older  brother. 

Having  resigned  his  position  with  Lord  Powis,  and 
with  a  commission  in  hand  as  an  officer  of  the  new 
government  of  Maryland,  he  arrived  in  the  Province 
October  1,  1688.  He  began  work  as  agent  of  the  Lord 
Proprietor,  but  before  a  year  had  elapsed,  one  of  those 
revolutions  came  which  upset  the  power  of  the  Lord 
Proprietor  and  placed  the  government  more  directly 
under  the  control  of  the  Crown.  But  he  had  already 
demonstrated  his  ability  and  usefulness  and  while  he 
continued  his  work  nominally  as  merely  the  agent  and 
rent  collector  for  Lord  Baltimore,  he  served  the  in 
terest  of  the  Lord  Proprietor  by  keeping  in  close  touch 
and  in  most  respects  working  harmoniously  with  the 
people  who  had  come  into  power  as  his  enemies. 

Incidentally  he  was  once  or  twice  arrested  for 
"  ridiculing  the  home  government  "  though  he  does 
not  seem  to  have  taken  the  matter  at  all  seriously  at 
first.  But  as  they  wouldn't  accept  bail,  he  finally  got 
much  provoked  at  his  fix. 

Though  the  Lord  Proprietor  had  technically  lost  the 


THE  FIKST  CHARLES  CARROLL  35 

Province,  he  had  not  lost  his  property  nor  his  influence ; 
and  he  continued  to  control  much  of  the  doings  of  the 
Assembly.  He  was  always  diplomatic  and  frequently 
had  his  own  way  by  seeming  to  let  the  Council  and 
Assembly  have  theirs. 

At  first  and  for  a  good  while,  Lord  Baltimore  was 
able  to  keep  clear  of  the  political  strife  of  England, 
and  though  residing  nearly  all  the  time  in  London  he 
was  able  to  steer  the  colonists  clear  of  the  trouble  that 
surrounded  him  there.  He  appointed  a  Protestant 
Governor  when  that  was  practicable  and  in  all  things 
displayed  the  traits  of  a  diplomatic  manager. 

The  Puritan  element  grew  in  strength  and  power  as 
the  colony  increased  in  numbers.  First  there  came  the 
Puritans  of  Virginia  who  had  been  expelled  from  that 
colony  on  account  of  their  religion,  and  these  were 
joined  by  many  of  their  own  faith  from  New  England, 
so  that  by  the  year  1680,  it  was  found  that  the 
Protestants  outnumbered  the  Catholics  about  thirty 
to  one.  One  of  the  most  incomprehensible  traits  of 
human  nature  is  that  people  who  have  suffered 
religious  persecution  promptly  become  persecutors  as 
soon  as  they  get  the  upper  hand.  So  it  proved  in 
Maryland. 

Mr.  Sharf  in  his  excellent  and  unprejudiced  history 
of  the  colony  and  state  says: 

Assuredly  the  founders  of  Maryland  were  in 
advance  of  their  times,  and  soared  far  above  the 
spirit  which  animated  the  government  of  the 
mother  country  and  the  sister  colonies. 

It  was  a  bigoted  and  persecuting  age  and  Catho 
lics  and  Protestants  alike  were  guilty  of  intoler 
ance  and  persecution.  But  let  honor  be  given 
where  it  is  due ;  and  the  honor  of  passing  the  act 
concerning  religion  "  belongs  to  an  assembly,  the 
majority  of  whom  were  Roman  Catholics. " 


36     CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

That  act  provided  for  the  fullest  protection  to  all  in 
the  enjoyment  of  religious  liberty  and  secured  all 
rights  alike  to  Catholic  and  Protestant. 

McMahon  also  an  unquestioned  authority,  says: 

So  far  as  religion  was  concerned  the  course  of 
the  laws  and  their  administration  was  one  of  entire 
neutrality.  The  great  object  seems  to  have  been 
to  preserve  that  religious  freedom,  which  had 
been  identified  with  the  colony.  The  Proprietor 
is  nowhere  charged  by  the  Assembly  with  any  act 
or  intention,  aiming  either  at  the  establishment  of 
his  own  Church  or  the  injury  of  the  Protestant. 
His  principles  were  averse  to  everything  like 
persecution. 

An  Englishman  traveling  in  the  Province  at  that 
time  in  describing  the  committee  of  plantations,  says, 
"  though  there  are  thirty  Protestants  to  one  Papist, 
between  them  there  is  no  quarrel." 

Yet  notwithstanding  the  condition  of  tolerance  and 
good  feeling  that  had  prevailed  it  was  easy  for  an 
unprincipled  man  named  Code  to  stir  up  what  was 
known  as  the  Protestant  Rebellion.  In  fact,  it  could 
hardly  be  so  called  with  fairness,  because  it  was  really 
a  scheme  to  get  the  Church  of  England  made  the  official 
institution  of  the  Province  and  the  Puritan  element 
which  had  suffered  persecution  readily  joined  in,  and 
became  the  persecutors. 

Under  the  proprietary  government  from  its  incep 
tion  to  its  overthrow  Maryland  was  a  place  of  refuge 
to  all  who  sought  shelter  from  civil  or  religious 
oppression.  The  Catholic  here  found  peace  and 
security  and  the  non-conformist  Protestant  came 
hither,  to  enjoy  under  a  Catholic  ruler  the  toleration 
denied  him  by  his  Protestant  brethren.  Says  a  writer 
of  Maryland  history : 


THE  FIEST  CHARLES  CARROLL          37 

It  has  become  the  fashion  of  New  England  and 
northern  writers  to  sneer  at  the  history  of  tolera 
tion  in  Maryland,  to  dispute  the  facts  attending 
its  establishment  and  to  deny  that  it  was  a  volun 
tary  proceeding  upon  the  part  of  the  Lords  Pro 
prietor  and  their  subjects,  the  colonists  of  Mary 
land.  But  they  cannot  deny  the  practical  work 
ings  of  toleration  as  exemplified  in  the  population 
of  the  colony  which  very  early  became  a  harbor 
of  refuge  for  the  oppressed  of  all  lands  and  of 
every  creed.  The  New  England  Puritan  sat  down 
here  by  the  side  of  the  Catholic,  Cavalier  and 
planter;  the  Quaker  escaped  to  Maryland  soil 
where  he  could  feel  secure  from  the  lash  and  the 
pillory,  the  cart's  tail  and  the  ear  cropper. 

But  in  spite  of  the  condition  that  had  prevailed,  and 
in  spite  of  the  feeling  of  security  that  all  had  enjoyed, 
it  wasn't  hard  to  stir  up  a  spirit  of  rebellion  against 
the  Lord  Proprietor  and  the  Catholics. 

These  were  days  of  persecution  and  intolerance  and 
the  doings  of  people  of  that  era  must  not  be  judged 
by  the  conditions  and  standards  of  the  present. 

One  Code,  an  unprincipled  man,  was  the  chief  inciter 
and  leader  of  the  rebellion.  He  had  been  both  Catholic 
and  Protestant  and  had  been  discarded  by  each  in  turn. 
Now  he  raised  the  cry  of  "  no  popery  "  and  the  people 
who  had  been  the  beneficiaries  of  the  beneficent  rule  of 
the  Lord  Proprietor  and  his  Assembly  rallied  to  Code 
and  soon  had  possession  of  the  government.  The  story 
of  their  doings  is  well  told  in  the  letter  here  given. 
This  letter  is  interesting  both  because  of  what  it  says 
and  because  it  is  the  first  record  we  have  made  by  a 
member  of  the  Carroll  family: 

St.  Mary,  September  the  25th,  1689. 
My  most  hon'd  Lord : 

I  believe  your  Lordship  has  ere  now  had  some 
intelligence  either  by  Captain  Burneham  or  John- 


38     CHAELES  CARBOLL  OF  CAREOLLTON 

son,  of  the  strange  rebellion  your  ungratefull 
people  of  this  your  Lordship's  Province  have 
involved  themselves  in,  moved  by  the  wicked  insti 
gations  of  Code,  Jowles,  Blackston,  Chiseldon, 
Parson  Thurling,  and  several  others  to  that  de 
gree,  that  they  quite  unhinged  your  Lordship's 
Government;  and  (as  if  there  were  noe  Justice 
to  be  had  but  such  as  they  please  to  distribute, 
or  as  if  the  whole  body  of  the  lawes  were  to  be 
annulled  by  their  wild  fancyes,)  have  taken  upon 
themselves  to  declare  your  Lordship's  charter 
forfeited,  as  your  Lordship  may  see  by  their 
malitious  declarcion,  (which  the  bearer  will  shew 
your  Lordship,)  they  have  further  taken  upon 
themselves  to  give  commissions  to  Sheriffs  and 
Justices  of  their  own  stamp,  and  constitute  other 
officers,  both  civill  and  military,  utterly  excluding 
not  onely  all  Roman  Catholiques  from  bearing  any 
office  whatsoever  contray  to  any  express  act  of  as 
sembly,  but  allsoe  all  protestants  that  refuse  to 
joyne  with  them  in  their  irregularities,  imprison 
ing  such  of  them  as  declare  against  their  illegall 
proceedings,  and  arbitrarily  threatening  to  hang 
anyman  that  takes  upon  him  to  justifie  your  Lord 
ship's  right;  they  have  assumed  the  power  of 
calling  an  assembly,  the  Election  of  which  was  in 
most  Countyes  awed  by  their  souldiers,  one 
Countye  disowned  their  power,  and  would  chuse 
noe  members,  but  in  fine  they  have  packed  up  an 
assembly  after  the  most  irregular  manner  that 
ever  was  knowne  wherein  they  have  layd  downe 
the  methods  of  their  future  conduct,  but  is  as  yet 
kept  private,  but  am  informed  that  your  Lordship 
shall  speedily  have  sent  you  a  copy  of  their 
journall. 

But  now  it  is  that  neither  Catholique  nor  honest 
protestant  can  well  call  his  life  or  Estate  his  owne, 
and  if  your  Lordship,  according  to  your  wonted 
care  and  tenderness  of  your  people,  by  a  speedy 
application  and  true  representation  to  his  Majesty 
of  these  most  inhuman  actions  doe  not  procure 


THE  FIRST  CHARLES  CARROLL  39 

some  orders  whereby  to  allay  their  fury  a  little, 
all  your  friends  here  will  be  reduced  to  a  miser 
able  condition,  for  dayly  their  Cattle  are  killed, 
their  horses  prest,  and  all  the  injury  imaginable 
done  to  them,  and  to  noe  other.  Certainly  your 
Lordship's  Charter  is  not  such  a  trifle  as  to  be 
annulled  by  the  bare  allegations  of  such  profli 
gate  wretches  and  men  of  scandalous  lives,  as 
Code,  Thurling,  Jowles  and  such  fooles,  as  they 
have  poysoned  by  the  most  absurd  lyes  that  ever 
were  invented.  If  the  King  thinks  that  your  Lord 
ship  or  your  Deputy  Governors  have  done  any 
thing  that  may  render  your  Charter  forfeited,  his 
Majesty  and  his  Councill  know  the  way  of  trying 
it  is  a  quo  warranto,  which  way  of  proceeding 
(as  I  understand)  is  not  much  favored  by  the 
King  or  parliament,  much  less  I  believe  will  they 
approve  of  such  unheard  of  actions  as  were  com 
mitted  your  Lordship,  and  Government  by  these 
evill  sperritts  without  commission  or  order  from 
any  superior  power,  whereby  they  have  not  onely 
rebelPd  against  your  Lordship,  but  allsoe  com 
mitted  high  treason  in  takeing  up  armes  as  they 
have  done  without  warrant  from  his  Majesty  or 
your  Lordship.  I  fear  I  have  been  too  tedious 
upon  this  ungrateful  Subject,  yet  could  enlarge 
much  now;  and  would  but  that  the  bearer  can 
informe  your  Lordship  to  the  full  much  better 
than  I  can,  he  haveing  been  noe  small  Sharer  in 
the  general  calamity,  whereof  likewise  I  had  my 
parte  mingled  with  a  hard  seasoning  of  which  I 
am  now,  thank  God,  allmost  recovered. 

I  believe  an  act  of  indemnity,  with  a  few  excep 
tions  of  the  most  notorious  transgressors,  would 
prove  a  great  means  to  reduce  the  people  to 
their  obedience,  tho'  the  heads  of  them  are  soe 
arrogant  as  to  declare  that  in  case  the  King  should 
send  orders  not  to  their  likeing,  they  would  not 
obey  them,  and  a  deal  of  such  stuff ;  the  Coll.  will 
informe  your  Lordship  at  large ;  therefore  will  at 
present  conclude  with  my  hearty  prayers  that  your 
Lordship  may  meet  with  noe  difficultye  in  com- 


40      CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

poseing  these  matters,  as  allsoe  with  a  full  assur 
ance  that  I  allwayes  shall  strive  in  the  station  I 
am  in  to  reserve  in  some  measure  the  name  of, 
My  Lord. 

Your  Lordship 's  most  humble  and  most  faith- 
full  servant, 

CHARLES  CARROLL. 

Addressed : —  For  the  Right  Honorable  the  Lord 
Baltimore,  at  his  home  in  Bloomsbery  Square  in 
London. 


CHAPTER  III 

DOWNFALL  OF  THE  PROPRIETORY  GOVERNMENT 
OF  MARYLAND 

The  condition  of  things  in  the  colony  is  pretty  well 
described  by  Charles  Carroll  in  the  letter  to  Lord 
Baltimore,  given  in  the  previous  chapter.  But  with 
the  exception  of  a  little  friction  now  and  then  and  the 
occasional  outbursts  natural  to  a  high  spirited  young 
man,  he  got  along  well  in  spite  of  the  changed  condi 
tion  brought  about  by  the  rebellion.  Code  who  led 
the  revolt  was  a  worthless  and  unprincipled  fellow; 
but  the  influence  of  the  old  world  and  the  prejudices 
of  those  in  the  Province  were  enough  to  give  him  the 
support  which  his  want  of  character  and  principle 
would  have  denied  him  under  other  conditions.  The 
Assembly  which  Code  was  supposed  to  control  denied 
him  a  seat  because  he  had  formerly  been  a  minister. 
And  today  no  priest  or  preacher  is  eligible  to  a  seat 
in  the  Maryland  legislature. 

But  Charles  Carroll  managed  to  become  influential 
with  the  people  in  spite  of  their  prejudices  against  his 
religion;  and  as  the  representative  of  the  Lord  Pro 
prietor,  whose  property  rights  were  all  preserved,  he 
made  himself  useful  as  well  as  busy. 

His  thoughts  soon  turned  to  other  matters  than  poli 
tics  and  religion  and  he  married  Martha,  the  daughter 
of  Anthony  Underwood,  a  wealthy  and  influential  citi 
zen,  and  the  Lord  of  Underwood's  Choice,  a  fine  estate 
not  far  from  St.  Mary's,  which  its  master  acquired 
some  five  years  before  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Carroll  from 
Europe.  Underwood's  Choice  was  one  of  the  great 
estates  located  in  the  vicinity  of  the  capital  of  the 
Province  before  its  removal  to  Annapolis,  the  new  seat 

[41] 


42     CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

of  government.  And  though  the  political  centre  swung 
to  the  new  capital  the  social  centre  long  remained  at 
the  St.  Mary's  region. 

One  child  was  born  of  this  union;  but  child  and 
wife  died  within  a  little  more  than  a  year  after  the 
marriage. 

Four  years  after  the  loss  of  his  first  wife,  Charles 
Carroll  married  Mary,  the  daughter  of  Henry  Darnall, 
of  Portland  Manor,  near  St.  Mary's.  His  association 
with  Col.  Darnall  had  been  close  and  confidential  from 
the  first.  The  young  immigrant  brought  letters  to 
Col.  Darnall  from  the  Lord  Proprietor  and  his  instruc 
tions  were  to  work  harmoniously  with  this  influential 
citizen.  When  Charles  Carroll  presented  his  letters  of 
introduction  to  the  Lord  of  Portland  Manor,  the 
daughter  could  have  been  not  more  than  eleven  years 
old,  as  she  was  not  quite  sixteen  at  the  time  of  her  mar 
riage.  But  the  acquaintance  was  evidently  close  and 
cordial  from  the  first.  The  mother  of  Mary  Darnall 
was,  when  married  to  Col.  Darnall,  the  widow  of  Major 
Thos.  Brooke  of  Brookfield. 

This  marriage  seems  to  have  been  a  happy  one  and 
most  successful  in  all  respects.  It  united  the  families 
of  the  Lord  Proprietor's  two  most  influential  friends 
and  promoted  the  interest  of  these  families  as  well  as 
that  of  their  patron  in  England.  During  twenty  years 
following,  ten  children  were  born  of  whom  three  sons 
and  two  daughters  grew  to  manhood  and  womanhood. 
Henry  Carroll,  born  Jan.  26,  1697,  was  the  eldest. 
He  was  educated  at  St.  Omers,  finished  his  studies  in 
England  and  was  entered  as  a  barrister  at  Temple  Inn, 
Sept.  16,  1718.  He  died  at  sea  April  10,  1719,  on  his 
way  back  to  Maryland.  Charles  Carroll,  the  second 
son,  who  became  the  heir,  was  born  April  2,  1702.  He 
was  the  father  of  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton.  Daniel 
Carroll,  the  youngest  son,  was  born  Oct.  30,  1707. 


THE  PEOPRIETORY  GOVERNMENT        43 

Charles  Carroll  became  possessed  of  large  landed 
estates  in  the  most  desirable  localities  of  the  Province. 
These  lands  were  granted  him  by  the  Lord  Proprietor 
and  purchased  from  the  Indians  whenever  occupied  by 
them.  The  Lords  Proprietor  from  the  first  to  the  fifth 
Lord  Baltimore  strongly  impressed  on  all  his  people 
that  the  Indians  must  be  treated  with  fairness  and 
friendliness.  Whenever  lands  were  occupied  by 
Indians,  the  purchase  must  be  made  from  them  and  on 
terms  which  they  deemed  satisfactory  after  a  full 
understanding  of  the  matter.  To  Mr.  Carroll's  duties 
as  attorney  and  collector  for  the  Lord  Proprietor,  were 
added  the  further  task  of  Surveyor  General  and  Naval 
Officer.  He  had  authority  to  appoint  surveyors  and  to 
remove  inefficient  ones.  This  doubtless  gave  him  great 
advantage  in  acquiring  a  knowledge  of  the  location, 
quality  and  desirability  of  the  lands  open  for  settle 
ment.  He  was  also  well  supplied  with  funds  for  invest 
ment  as  his  father  retaining  the  landed  estates  in  Ire 
land  for  the  eldest  son  had  sent  Charles  to  the  new 
world  well  equipped  with  ready  cash  and  good  credit. 
Besides  this  his  revenue  for  work  done  for  the  Lords 
Proprietor  and  the  Province  must  have  netted  him  a 
very  considerable  income.  This  constantly  invested  in 
the  fine  lands  of  the  Province,  furnished  the  basis  of 
the  great  Carroll  fortune  of  the  future.  Charles  Car 
roll,  the  settler,  visited  England  in  the  year  1715.  It 
isn't  clearly  shown,  but  the  presumption  is  strong  that 
he  was  called  to  Europe  at  this  time  by  the  death  of 
his  father  in  Ireland.  No  previous  mention  is  made  of 
the  death  of  his  father  and  some  business  matters 
which  he  transacted  at  that  time  indicate  that  he  was 
aiding  in  settling  up  the  affairs  of  his  father's  estate. 

During  his  stay  in  London  the  Lord  Proprietor  died 
and  Charles  Carroll  acted  as  the  attorney  in  the  man 
agement  of  Lady  Baltimore's  affairs  both  in  London 
and  in  the  Province. 


44      CHAELES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

There  was  little  or  no  cessation  of  the  warfare  on 
Catholics  in  Maryland  and  a  man  like  Charles  Carroll 
had  to  use  great  diplomacy  as  well  as  firmness  in 
dealing  with  the  situation. 

From  1704  to  1718  several  ferocious  anti-Catholic 
acts  were  passed.  A  reward  of  £100  was  offered  to  any 
informer  who  "  should  apprehend  and  take  "  a  priest 
and  convict  him  of  saying  Mass,  and  the  penalty 
of  a  priest  convicted  under  this  act  was  perpetual 
imprisonment. 

Any  Catholic  found  keeping  a  school  or  taking  any 
child  to  educate  was  to  spend  the  rest  of  his  life  in 
prison.  No  Catholic  should  be  permitted  to  send  his 
child  abroad  to  be  educated,  nor  should  a  Catholic  be 
allowed  to  purchase  real  estate ;  and  those  holding  any 
property,  were  to  pay  double  taxes. 

But  in  nearly  all  these  acts,  Mr.  Carroll  was 
exempted  from  their  penalties  on  account  of  the  high 
regard  the  authorities  had  for  him. 

These  things,  however,  were  in  no  way  denied  or 
excused  by  Protestants  of  a  later  generation.  They 
were  simply  a  part  of  the  times  and  of  conditions  which 
it  is  impossible  to  understand  at  this  day. 

It  was  not  really  a  Protestant  rebellion  that  carried 
down  the  Lord  Proprietor.  It  was  a  Church  of 
England  movement  which  was  part  of  the  politics  of 
that  day.  They  made  the  Church  of  England  the  estab 
lished  church,  which  was  the  main  object  of  the  fight. 
Mr.  Hawkes,  a  Protestant  minister,  writing  of  it  says : 
' '  No  wonder  such  a  religious  establishment  as  that  of 
Maryland  was  odious  to  so  many  people.  Their  dislike 
of  it  is  evidence  of  their  virtue  "  and  another  Church 
of  England  clergyman  writes:  "  The  church  which 
drove  Catholicism  to  the  wall  was  perhaps  as  contempt 
ible  an  ecclesiastic  body  as  history  can  show." 

It  was  politics  rather  than  religion  and  pretty  low 


THE  PROPRIETORY  GOVERNMENT        45 

down  politics  at  that,  when  measured  by  the  standards 
of  the  present  day. 

The  two  sons,  Charles  and  Daniel,  were  sent  to 
France  to  be  educated  when  they  were  old  enough  to 
go.  They  were  still  at  school  when  Henry,  the  eldest 
brother,  died  on  his  way  home.  The  news  of  this  death 
was  given  them  in  a  letter  from  their  father  dated  July 
7,  1719.  Previous  to  the  death  of  his  son  Henry,  Mr. 
Carroll  had  made  his  will  leaving  the  three  boys  as 
executors  and  placing  the  management  of  his  estates 
in  the  hands  of  Henry  Darnall,  Benjamin  James  Car 
roll,  Charles  Carroll  and  Daniel  Carroll.  The  first 
one  was  his  brother-in-law  and  the  other  three  were 
his  cousins.  The  accession  of  Benedict  Leonard  Cal- 
vert  in  1715  to  the  titles  of  his  father,  placed  the 
government  back  in  the  hands  of  the  Lord  Proprietor 
as  Benedict  had  become  a  Protestant  and  could  take 
the  test  oath  necessary  for  the  reinstatement  of  the 
old  government. 

The  first  Carroll  to  come  over  is  generally  spoken 
of  as  Charles  Carroll,  the  immigrant,  his  son  as 
Charles  Carroll  of  Annapolis  and  the  signer  as  Charles 
Carroll  of  Carrollton ;  And  they  will  be  so  designated 
hereafter  in  this  work.  Mr.  Carroll  the  immigrant  was 
kept  actively  engaged  in  his  practice  after  his  return 
from  England  and  during  the  proprietorship  of  Bene 
dict,  the  successor  of  Charles.  We  find  him  appear 
ing  for  the  Province  in  criminal  cases ;  and  he  was  one 
of  a  committee  of  six  to  inspect  the  Provincial  records 
and  oversee  their  transfer  to  Annapolis  when  the  capi 
tal  was  moved  from  St.  Mary's  to  the  new  seat  of 
government.  He  was  painstaking  and  thorough,  for 
we  find  in  many  cases  he  would  not  give  an  opinion 
offhand  to  the  Assembly,  whereas  others  were  quite 
ready  to  do  so.  It  seemed  to  be  the  custom  for  the 


46     CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARKOLLTON 

Assembly  to  call  before  them  a  group  of  leading  law 
yers  for  advice  when  a  perplexing  question  arose.  Mr. 
Carroll  was  always  called  in  such  cases,  and  was  the 
most  deliberate  and  painstaking  of  the  group.  Gov 
ernor  Nicholson  seems  to  have  been  guided  by  the 
advice  and  opinion  of  Mr.  Carroll  in  most  of  his  acts 
where  a  question  of  law  was  involved. 

Mr.  Charles  Carroll  was  kept  busy  in  his  law  prac 
tice  as  well  as  with  his  private  affairs  now  grown  large 
by  reason  of  his  extensive  real  estate  holdings.  In 
1698  he  represented  the  counties  of  Talbot  and  Somer 
set  before  the  Council  in  the  matter  of  some  complaints 
against  the  authorities  of  these  counties.  In  Talbot, 
then  spelled  "  Talbott  "  the  charge  was  that  the  court 
house  cost  a  considerable  sum  of  tobb  (tobacco)  and 
the  keeping  of  an  ordinary  in  it  cannot  be  allowed. 
The  respondents  through  Mr.  Carroll  said  the  county 
was  at  much  expense  and  needed  the  rental.  The 
Council  feared  carousing  in  an  ordinary  would  endan 
ger  the  records.  An  arrangement  satisfactory  all 
around  was  made.  Mr.  Carroll  agreed  that  the  county 
would  put  up  a  small  building  at  a  distance  from  the 
court  house  and  that  this  building  should  hold  the 
records  and  have  no  chimney.  Somerset  was  also  able 
to  satisfy  the  council. 

When  the  government  was  settled  in  Annapolis,  Mr. 
Carroll  asked  the  appointment  of  Henry  Denton  as 
Naval  Officer  of  the  port  and  on  the  appointment  being 
made  went  on  his  bond  for  the  faithful  performance  of 
the  duties  of  the  post.  Following  this  we  find  him  fre 
quently  acting  as  counsel  in  the  important  shipping 
cases.  By  this  time  Mr.  Carroll  had  secured  real  estate 
as  follows: 

Carroll's  Forest  500  acres  in  Prince  George 's 
County. 

Ely  0 'Carroll  1,000  acres  in  Baltimore  County. 
Litterlouna,  400  acres  in  Baltimore  County. 


THE  PROPRIETORY  GOVERNMENT        47 

New  Year's  gift  1,300  acres  at  Elk  Ridge. 
Clynmalyna,  3,000  acres. 

Doughoregan  Manor,  10,000  acres  in  Baltimore, 
now  Howard  County. 

He.  also  owned  lands  on  the  eastern  shore  in  Kent 
and  Somerset  Counties  and  on  the  eastern  shore  of 
Virginia. 

Enfield  Chase  in  Prince  George's  County  and  other 
additions  to  his  properties  brought  the  estate  of 
Charles  Carroll,  the  immigrant,  up  to  the  princely 
holding  of  60,000  acres.  And  these  were  in  the  hands 
of  a  man  with  the  money,  the  experience  and  the 
brains  to  make  the  most  of  them.  In  the  number  of 
acres  this  corresponds  fairly  well  with  the  holdings 
of  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  sixty  years  after 
ward.  But  the  properties  were  not  altogether  the 
same. 

Charles  Carroll,  the  immigrant,  was  not  slow  to  see 
that  the  change  of  the  capital  from  St.  Mary's  to  Anne 
Arundel  County  would  cause  a  development  in  that  sec 
tion  which  would  add  greatly  to  land  values.  He  was 
also  quick  to  recognize  the  natural  advantages  of  the 
section  contiguous  to  the  Patapsco  river.  Appreciating 
this,  he  marked  the  Doughoregan  Manor  tract  as  the 
future  home  of  the  family  and  built  the  Manor  House 
which  still  stands.  The  building  was  begun  soon  after 
Mr.  Carroll's  return  from  England  and  Ireland  and 
was  very  likely  from  plans  secured  by  him  while 
abroad.  Ths  building  is  a  beautiful  specimen  of 
colonial  architecture,  two  stories  in  height  with  wings 
that  make  it  three  hundred  feet  in  length.  A  wide 
paneled  hall  leads  to  the  library  on  the  right  where 
many  generations  of  Carrolls  have  entertained  their 
friends  and  transacted  important  business.  It  was  in 
this  room  that  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  gathered 


48     CHARLES  CAEEOLL  OF  CAEEOLLTON 

his  family  and  some  intimate  friends  to  receive  the 
committee  from  Washington  that  brought  the  two 
copies  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  that  were 
presented  to  him  fifty  years  after  the  signing  of  that 
great  document. 

Charles  Carroll  died  July  20,  1720,  and  his  son 
Charles  Carroll,  remained  abroad  finishing  his  educa 
tion  and  equipping  himself  for  the  duties  ahead  of  him 
till  1723  when  he  returned  in  his  twenty-first  year  to 
take  charge  of  his  estates.  The  property  had  been  well 
managed  by  Mr.  James  Carroll,  a  cousin,  during  the 
three  years  after  his  father's  death.  Daniel  Carroll, 
his  younger  brother,  remained  in  Europe  another  year. 
Mr.  Carroll  found  Annapolis  much  changed  by  the 
years  he  had  been  away.  The  new  capital  had  been 
built  near  the  mouth  of  the  Severon  river  where  the 
Puritans  had  settled  on  being  driven  out  of  Virginia 
because  they  would  not  conform  to  the  teachings  of  the 
Church  of  England.  It  had  been  chartered  as  a  city  in 
1708  and  made  a  port  of  entry  soon  after.  Mr.  Carroll 
returned  to  this  city  where  his  father  had  been  a  most 
active  citizen,  and  to  find  that  his  estate  was  one  of  the 
most  valuable  properties  in  the  Province.  Additions 
had  been  made  to  the  city,  new  buildings,  public  and 
private,  had  been  erected,  forms  of  government  had 
been  made  more  perfect  and  all  in  all,  the  land  he  had 
left  seemed  transformed  into  a  new  region  on  his 
return. 


CHAPTER  IV 

CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  ANNAPOLIS  IN  THE  PROV 
INCE  OF  MARYLAND 

The  second  Charles  Carroll,  who  having  completed 
his  education  permanently  took  up  his  residence  in 
Maryland  in  1723,  was  generally  known  as  Charles 
Carroll  of  Annapolis.  He  was  the  father  of  the  signer 
and  was  a  man  of  influence  from  the  time  of  his  return 
to  the  home  of  his  childhood.  Doughoregon  Manor  had 
been  built  and  was  the  family  seat  of  the  Carrolls.  But 
they  also  had  a  home  in  the  new  city  of  Annapolis, 
which  by  this  time  had  become  a  place  of  considerable 
importance. 

James  Carroll,  who  as  agent  of  the  executors  had 
been  in  active  control  after  the  death  of  the  first 
Charles  Carroll,  lived  till  1729  and  continued  in  man 
agerial  work  in  cooperation  with  the  heir  who  grad 
ually  assumed  the  burden  and  responsibilities;  so 
that  by  the  time  of  the  death  of  his  uncle  the  nephew 
was  in  touch  with  the  work  on  all  branches  of  the  great 
estate. 

His  foresight  enabled  him  to  see  the  natural  advan 
tages  of  the  Patapsco  region  near  which  Doughoregon 
was  located  and  he  encouraged  the  idea  of  this  being 
the  point  for  a  great  metropolis  to  which  the  rich  lands 
of  Maryland  would  become  tributary. 

With  this  idea  in  view,  in  the  year  of  1729,  Mr. 
Carroll,  in  connection  with  some  other  land  owners 
secured  the  passage  of  "  an  act  for  erecting  a  town  on 
the  north  side  of  Patapsco,  in  Baltimore  County,  and 
for  laying  out  into  lots  sixty  acres  of  land  in  and  about 
the  place  where  one  John  Flemming  now  lives." 

[49] 


50    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

Flemming  was  a  tenant  of  Mr.  Carroll  and  resided  in 
a  house  then  usually  called  a  Quarter,  standing  on  the 
north  bank  of  Uhler's  run,  and  near  General  Streck- 
er's  home,  afterwards  on  Charles  street.  Under  the 
act  an  organization  was  formed  for  town  government, 
and  Baltimore  was  born.  Although  Mr.  Carroll  was 
the  prime  mover  and  the  greatest  beneficiary,  his  name 
nowhere  appears  in  the  records.  The  commissioners 
were  appointed  for  life  and  were  authorized  to  fill  their 
own  vacancies  and  appoint  their  own  clerks. 

The  name  of  the  county  and  city  of  Baltimore  was 
intended  as  a  compliment  to  the  Lord  Proprietor 
whose  ancestor  received  his  title  of  Baron  from  a  sea 
port  of  that  name  in  the  County  of  Cork,  Ireland.  The 
first  choice  of  a  lot  was  reserved  to  the  owner  of  the 
land  and  no  one  was  to  take  more  than  one  lot  during 
the  first  four  months.  Mr.  Carroll  selected  his  lot  and 
in  December  of  the  same  year  in  behalf  of  himself  and 
his  brother,  Daniel,  he  sold  the  entire  tract  to  the  com 
missioners  who  in  turn  sold  it  to  actual  settlers.  The 
broad  business  liberality  of  the  Carrolls  was  praised 
and  Baltimore  boomed.  The  beginning  of  the  town 
was  the  point  now  designated  as  the  corner  of  Pratt 
and  Light  streets.  Mr.  Carroll  took  the  lot  on  Calvert 
street  next  to  the  river  on  the  east  side  of  the  street 
which  was  lot  49.  At  that  time  Calvert  was  the  only 
street  that  touched  the  river  and  Mr.  Carroll's  lot  soon 
became  more  valuable  than  was  the  whole  tract  before 
the  town  was  laid  out.  Among  the  early  settlers  came 
the  Quaker  families  of  Gorsuch,  Giles,  Fell,  Hopkins, 
Matthews  and  Taylor.  They  were  from  England 
where  they  had  suffered  untold  persecution  and  were 
induced  to  come  to  the  colony  on  account  of  their 
acquaintance  with,  and  friendliness  for  Mr.  Carroll. 
All  these  names  became  intimately  associated  with  the 
history  of  Maryland. 


CHAELES  CARROLL  OF  ANNAPOLIS   51 

Mr.  Carroll  evidently  entertained  many  of  the 
advanced  ideas  of  government  that  we  see  so  con 
spicuously  displayed  in  his  son  years  afterward,  for 
we  find  him  in  regard  to  the  county  government  of  his 
county  saying: 

Let  us  not  restore  the  property  qualifications 
for  the  members  of  the  Executive  or  Legislative 
department;  trusting  as  we  can  safely,  that  per 
sons  elected  by  the  people  duly  qualified,  may  be 
no  less  competent  to  serve  the  public  from  a  want 
of  fortune. 

Charles  Carroll  of  Annapolis  married  Elizabeth 
Brooke,  daughter  of  Clement  Brooke  and  Jane  Sewell. 
The  wife  was  well  connected  and  was  distantly  related 
to  her  husband  in  two  or  three  ways.  Her  people  were 
Catholic  landholders,  educated  and  wealthy.  One  son 
was  born  and  was  named  Charles,  who  became  Charles 
Carroll  of  Carrollton,  one  of  the  very  influential  and 
conspicuous  figures  in  colonial  and  national  politics. 
The  father  lived  to  see  his  son  achieve  great  honor  as 
a  statesman,  but  the  mother  died  when  he  was  only 
twenty-four  years  old. 

At  ten  years  of  age,  young  Charles  was  sent  to 
school  at  Bohemia  Manor  in  Maryland  and  his  cousin, 
John  Carroll,  afterwards  the  first  Catholic  Bishop  in 
this  country,  was  his  fellow  student.  Bohemia  Manor 
was  a  vast  estate  in  Cecil  County  and  the  Jesuit  order 
had  there  founded  a  school.  This  school  was  broader 
in  its  scope  than  most  schools  of  that  day  and  sought  to 
lay  the  foundation  of  a  practical  and  useful  education. 
They  taught  many  things  to  which  little  attention  was 
given  in  most  institutions  of  the  time.  Bookkeeping, 
the  rudiments  of  surveying  and  navigation,  as  well  as 
the  classics  were  in  the  course  of  study. 

Father  Mansell  who  founded  the  school,  was  doubt- 


52  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

less  impressed  by  the  results  of  a  practical  education 
as  seen  in  Augustus  Herman  and  his  descendants,  the 
wealthy  owners  of  the  great  Bohemian  and  Herman 
estates  around  him.  These  estates  were  not  only  the 
richest  on  the  eastern  shore  but  among  the  most  val 
uable  in  the  whole  country,  and  all  the  owners  were 
men  who  had  inherited  the  hard  common  sense  of 
Augustus  Herman  the  founder,  and  had  been  given 
what  Augustus  deemed  good  educations.  One  of  these 
men  could  survey,  navigate  a  ship,  keep  books  or  pre 
pare  and  try  a  case  at  law.  The  great  knowledge  and 
ability  of  the  men  were  as  conspicuous  as  the  vastness 
of  the  tracts  of  land  they  owned.  The  fertility  of  his 
resources  is  seen  in  the  case  of  the  original  Herman 
who  is  put  down  as  the  inventor  of  naturalization. 
When  he  applied  to  the  Lord  Proprietor  for  a  grant  of 
land  he  found  that  he  was  barred  by  reason  of  his 
being  a  subject  under  control  of  Governor  Stuyvesant 
of  New  York.  But  he  said  "  I  will  fix  that  "  and  he 
prepared  a  set  of  papers  in  which  he  renounced  every 
other  allegiance  and  swore  to  become  and  be  a  faithful 
citizen  of  the  Province  of  Maryland.  This  declaration 
was  accepted  in  lieu  of  length  of  residence ;  and  so  far 
as  known  this  is  the  first  naturalization  case  of  this 
or  any  other  country. 

And  though  years  had  elapsed  the  impress  made  by 
the  hard  common  sense  of  Augustus  Herman  was  still 
felt. 

Father  ManselPs  school  was  a  great  success  and  to 
it  came  the  sons  of  rich  men,  mostly  Catholics  from  all 
parts  of  the  Province  and  in  fact,  from  all  parts  of  the 
country.  After  remaining  a  little  over  a  year  in  the 
school  at  Bohemia  Manor,  the  two  Carrolls  returned 
to  their  homes  preparatory  to  being  sent  abroad  to 
continue  their  education. 


CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  ANNAPOLIS   53 

Of  course,  they  would  go  to  St.  Omers.  That  was  the 
institution  of  their  fathers  and  it  is  doubtful  if  any 
other  place  was  ever  considered.  So  in  1748  the  two 
cousins  found  themselves  in  St.  Omers  with  which  both 
were  familiar  from  frequent  descriptions  of  school  life 
there  as  father  found  it. 

St.  Omer  was  founded  in  1592  and  was  a  school  for 
Catholic  education  of  priests  and  others.  St.  Omer 
was  a  town  of  some  20,000  inhabitants  and  is  only 
twenty-four  miles  from  Calais,  and  therefore,  very 
convenient  to  England.  So,  many  English  Catholics 
of  wealth,  sent  their  boys  there  to  be  educated.  Doubt 
less  other  Carrolls  had  been  pupils  there  before  the 
Maryland  branch  of  the  family  became  patrons. 
Father  Parsons,  an  English  Jesuit,  was  the  founder 
and  the  character  of  the  school  was  kept  as  much 
English  as  possible.  The  Province  of  Artois  in  which 
St.  Omer  is  located,  was  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
King  of  Spain,  but  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  French 
in  1678.  The  college  prospered  and,  when  the  two 
Carroll  boys  arrived  in  1748,  was  the  home  of  wealthy 
boys  of  rich  Catholic  families  of  all  parts  of  the  world. 
There  were  several  from  the  Province  at  this  time 
besides  the  Carrolls. 

In  1750  Mr.  Carroll  devised  a  scheme  for  a  great 
colonization  of  Catholics  from  Maryland  to  the  south 
west  on  the  territory  that  now  forms  the  State  of 
Arkansas.  The  unfair  and  oppressive  laws  that  had 
been  enacted  by  the  Assembly  and  sanctioned  by  the 
new  Lord  Proprietor,  now  a  Protestant,  formed  a  con 
stant  source  of  irritation.  The  Carrolls  themselves 
were  not  directly  sufferers  to  a  great  extent.  They 
were  men  of  great  wealth  and  high  character  and  were 
usually  excepted  by  name  in  the  enactment  of  anti- 
Catholic  laws,  but  they  chafed  under  the  unfairness 


54    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

and  injustice  done  their  less  fortunate  coreligionists. 
His  scheme  met  ready  cooperation  and  a  very  large 
number  was  enrolled.  The  constant  planting  of  an 
exhausting  crop  like  tobacco  had  worn  down  the  Mary 
land  soil  and  the  stories  of  the  rich  land  in  the 
Mississippi  valley  offered  their  fascinations. 

Mr.  Carroll  selected  a  spot  on  the  west  side  of  the 
Arkansas  river,  commencing  at  its  mouth  and  running 
a  hundred  and  twenty  miles  up  that  river  across  to  the 
Mississippi  river,  then  to  the  place  of  beginning,  at 
the  mouth  of  the  river  Arkansas.  Today  this  would  be 
the  splendid  triangle  with  the  Mississippi  river  as  the 
western  boundary  and  Little  Rock  and  Memphis  at  the 
other  two  angles.  This  territory  then  belonged  to  the 
King  of  France  with  whose  minister  Mr.  Carroll  had 
conferred  and  was  encouraged  to  believe  the  plan 
could  be  carried  out. 

In  the  Spring  of  1751,  Mr.  Carroll  made  a  trip 
abroad  in  answer  to  several  business  demands,  and  to 
make  a  visit  to  his  son.  During  this  trip  he  laid  the 
matter  before  the  French  King  who  encouraged  the 
idea  but  thought  the  grant  of  land  asked  altogether  too 
large.  The  man  from  Maryland  would  not  consider 
less,  and  the  matter  was  left  in  abeyance  and  Mr.  Car 
roll  returned  without  having  fully  accomplished  his 
purpose,  though  he  had  the  promise  of  a  tract  ample 
for  immediate  purposes. 

But  his  efforts  in  this  direction  had  the  effect  of 
causing  a  relaxation  of  the  offensive  laws;  and  with 
this  result  achieved  the  Maryland  Catholics  were  much 
less  disposed  to  go  west.  The  following  letter  to  his 
son,  written  after  Mr.  Carroll's  return  from  Europe, 
throws  light  on  the  friendly  terms  that  existed  between 
the  father  and  son.  Though  it  is  not  the  purpose  of 
this  work  to  go  very  fully  into  the  presentation  of 


CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  ANNAPOLIS   55 

correspondence  and  State  papers,  this  letter  is  too 
illuminating  not  to  be  given: 

Oct.  10th,  1753. 
Dear  Charley  :— 

I  received  your  several  letters  of  August  30th, 
December  20th,  1752,  and  March  6th,  1753,  which 
are  all  most  welcome  to  me,  and  altho'  a  hurry  of 
business  prevents  my  often  writing  to  you,  you 
may  be  assured  you  are  always  in  my  thoughts 
and  that  I  most  earnestly  wish  your  happiness. 
As  you  have  no  such  avocations  I  desire  I  may 
often  hear  from  you.  Since  you  have  not  a  good 
dancing-Master,  you  were  in  the  right  to  discon 
tinue  learning,  but  when  you  can  meet  with  a 
good  one  you  must  resume  it,  for  nothing  contrib 
utes  more  to  give  a  gentleman  a  graceful  and  easy 
carriage.  You  may  sometime  hence  meet  with  a 
good  painter  and  then  with  your  mother  I  shall  be 
glad  to  have  your  picture  in  the  compass  of  15 
inches  by  12. 

Your  opinion  of  Europe  and  the  people  there 
will  be  much  altered  when  you  return  to  your 
native  country.  Fops  are  the  object  of  contempt 
and  ridicule  everywhere,  but  it  is  from  the  fine 
gentleman  you  are  to  take  example.  Dear  child, 
I  long  to  see  you,  but  I  did  not  send  you  so  far 
only  to  learn  a  little  Greek  and  Latin.  Where 
you  are  you  can  only  lay  a  foundation  for  other 
studies  which  may  hereafter  be  profitable  to  your 
self  and  useful  to  your  friends.  When  you  have 
gone  thro'  them  the  rest  of  your  life  will  be  a 
continued  scene  of  ease  and  Satisfaction,  if  you 
keep  invariably  in  the  paths  of  truth  and  of  virtue. 
The  husbandman  annually  repeats  the  toil  of 
dressing,  plowing  and  sowing  for  his  harvest. 
When  you  have  completed  higher  studies  your  toil 
will  be  over,  and  your  harvest  will  daily  and  al 
ways  come  in.  I  am  very  glad  to  see  you  are  so 
sensible  of  the  advantages  of  a  virtuous  educa 
tion,  and  that  you  are  resolved  to  make  the  best 


56  CHARLES  CAEROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

use  of  it.  Mr.  Wappeler  informs  me  you  are  third 
in  your  school,  which  gives  me  great  pleasure,  and 
as  your  judgment  unfolds  itself  and  ripens,  I  ex 
pect  to  hear  of  your  still  rising ;  i  i  Aut  Caesar  aut 
Nullus."  The  ambition  to  excel  in  virtue  and 
learning  is  laudable. 

We  are  still  threatened  by  our  Assembly,  but  I 
hope  by  the  interposition  of  our  friends  in  London, 
it  will  not  be  in  their  power  to  hurt  us.  A  con 
tinual  calm  in  life  is  no  more  to  be  expected  than 
on  the  ocean. 

Pray  present  my  humble  services  to  your 
Master,  whose  care  of  and  kindness  toward  you 
deserve  greater  acknowledgments  from  me  than 
I  have  in  my  power  to  repay.  I  am  under  the  same 
obligations  to  Mr.  Wappeler  and  Newton,  which, 
pray  let  them  know  with  my  humble  service  and 
compliments  to  them.  I  desire  also  my  compli 
ments  to  Mr.  Falkner,  and  am  very  glad  to  hear 
he  is  contented  in  his  station.  If  you  please  he 
may  be  of  service  to  you  in  arithmetic.  Jacky  I 
suppose  is  gone  up  the  hill.  Remember  me  to 
Watty,  Mr.  Warring  and  all  the  Marylandians. 
Your  mama,  grandma,  Aunt  Jenny  and  all  your 
friends  in  general  are  all  well.  I  hope  the  books 
got  safe  to  you,  and  that  Cicero's  life  has  in  par 
ticular  given  you  pleasure. 

You  entered  into  the  17th  year  of  your  age  on 
the  19th  of  last  month,  being  born  the  8th  of 
September,  1737,  old  stile.  Your  judgment  there 
fore  will  enable  you  to  enter  into  the  reason  of 
the  rules  and  lessons  you  are  learning.  Children 
learn  like  parrots,  memory  and  practice  aid  them 
chiefly,  but  men  of  sense  do  not  content  themselves 
with  knowing  a  thing,  but  make  themselves  thor 
oughly  acquainted  with  the  reasons  on  which  that 
knowledge  is  founded.  I  beg  you  will  carefully 
observe  this  in  your  present  and  future  studies. 
Memory  may  fail  you,  but  when  an  impression  is 
made  by  reason  it  will  last  as  long  as  you  retain 
understanding. 

I  cannot  wish  to  have  a  better  account  of  you 


CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  ANNAPOLIS   57 

than  what  I  have  from  Messrs.  Carvall,  Wappeler 
and  Newton,  and  I  doubt  not  you  will  daily  merit 
it  more  and  more.  If  you  do  it  will  afford  me  the 
greatest  comfort  and  satisfaction  and  increase  the 
love  I  have  for  you. 
I  am,  dear  Charley, 

Most  affectionately  your  father, 

CHARLES  CARROLL. 

To  Mr.  Charles  Carroll, 
at  Blandike. 

In  1731  Charles  Carroll  of  Annapolis  in  connection 
with  Dr.  Chas.  Carroll,  father  of  Chas.  Carroll,  the 
barrister,  founded  the  Patapsco  Iron  Works  Company 
which  made  the  first  successful  effort  in  this  region  to 
manufacture  iron.  This  must  have  been  a  pretty  suc 
cessful  effort  for  Mr.  Carroll  of  Annapolis  in  the  year 
1764  put  down  his  one-fifth  interest  as  being  worth 
£10,000. 

Dr.  Charles  Carroll  was  very  distantly  related  to 
the  Daniel  Carroll  branch  but  that  they  had  worked  out 
the  relationship  is  shown  in  the  fact  they  always 
addressed  each  other  as  Cousin. 

Dr.  Charles  Carroll  was  a  Protestant  and  the  two 
working  together  doubtless  could  achieve  many  pur 
poses  that  neither  could  have  done  if  they  had  worked 
separately. 


CHAPTER  V 

STUDENT  LIFE  AT  LE  GRAND  — LAW  AND  LOVE  IN 
LONDON  — AN  INTERESTING  LETTER 

After  about  a  year  and  a  half  at  St.  Omer,  young 
Charles  was  found  fitted  for  entering  the  college  of 
Louis  Le  Grand  at  Paris  where  he  was  to  spend  four 
years  in  completing  his  classical  education  and  fitting 
himself  for  the  study  of  English  law,  which  he  was  to 
pursue  in  London.  He  was  doubtless  instructed  as  his 
father  before  him  had  been,  that  his  study  of  the  law 
was  not  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  him  to  earn  money 
as  a  practitioner,  but  to  equip  him  for  the  burdens  of 
handling  a  great  estate  and  for  the  responsibilities  of 
a  public  career.  For  in  those  days  men  were  educated 
and  trained  for  public  life.  In  the  case  of  Mr.  Carroll, 
as  well  as  that  of  nearly  every  one  associated  with  him 
in  the  patriot  cause,  his  education  was  along  lines  to 
best  fit  him  for  a  clear  understanding  and  a  forceful 
exposition  of  the  great  problems  of  government  with 
which  he  would  have  to  contend.  There  was  not  much 
haphazard  in  the  matter  of  men  getting  into  great 
public  positions.  The  ones  trained  for  the  work  were 
the  ones  that  had  it  in  hand,  and  those  best  trained 
stood  the  best  chance.  There  was  doubtless  another 
strong  incentive  for  work  and  thorough  equipment. 
The  Carrolls  were  Eoman  Catholics  and  they  had  for 
two  generations  suffered  from,  and  chafed  under  the 
disadvantage  in  this  regard ;  under  which  they  labored. 
To  rise  above  all  this  and  become  influential  and 
strong,  a  man  must  be  not  only  equal  to  the  tasks  that 
public  life  imposed,  but  he  must  be  so  able  and 
thorough  as  to  be  almost  indispensable.  It  was  this 


60    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

kind  of  equipment  to  which  young  Charles  Carroll  was 
aiming.  How  well  he  attained  it  will  be  shown  as  his 
career  unfolds. 

Letters  to  and  from  his  father  in  Maryland  showed 
how  close  in  thought  and  feelings  the  two  were ;  though 
so  far  separated  and  so  seldom  able  to  meet.  But  the 
letters  kept  them  in  touch. 

College  life  at  Le  Grand  was  just  as  exacting  in 
the  matter  of  studies  as  he  had  found  it  at  St.  Omer ; 
but  the  attitude  of  the  young  man  and  his  studious 
habits  enabled  him  easily  to  keep  at  the  head  of  each 
of  his  classes.  The  father  was  always  pleased  with  his 
reports  and  didn't  hesitate  to  express  himself  freely 
to  that  effect.  He  praised  the  boy,  thanked  the  mas 
ters,  and  encouraged  him  constantly  to  put  forth  his 
best  efforts.  How  helpful  and  encouraging  these  let 
ters  from  home  were,  was  constantly  shown  in  the  later 
life  of  young  Charles. 

Though  it  is  not  the  purpose  to  reproduce  letters  the 
following  is  so  pertinent  that  it  cannot  well  be  omitted. 
It  is  interesting  beyond  the  matter  of  being  a  family 
letter,  for  it  tells  of  the  conflicting  claims  of  England 
and  France  to  part  of  this  continent;  and  tells  the 
story  with  a  clearness  and  exactness  that  will  make  the 
letter  most  interesting  to  readers  of  the  present  day. 
It  is  in  answer  to  an  inquiry  on  this  matter  and  is  for 
the  purpose  of  enabling  the  young  man  to  discuss  the 
subject  intelligently. 

July  26,  1756. 
Dear  Charley:— 

I  have  received  the  following  letters  from  you 
Dec.  14th,  1755,  one  without  a  date  wrote  as  I  sup 
pose  about  the  10th  of  last  January,  and  the  last 
dated  February  27th,  1756.  You  may  be  assured 
they  were  all  very  welcome  to  me  and  your  mama. 
I  suppose  you  may  buy  Locke  and  Newton  in 


STUDENT  LIFE  AT  LE  GRAND     61 

Paris,  if  not  desire  your  cousin  Anthony  to  write 
to  Mr.  Perkins  to  send  them  to  you  or  any  other 
books  you  may  want.  As  war  is  declared  I  know 
not  how  you  will  get  these  books.  The  carriage 
through  Holland  will  amount  to  more  than  the 
first  cost.  If  they  could  be  sent  to  Rouen  they 
would  by  the  Seine  reach  you  at  little  expense. 

Tho '  we  are  threatened  with  the  introduction  of 
the  English  Penal  Laws  into  this  Province,  they 
are  not  yet  introduced.  But  last  May  a  law  passed 
here  to  double  tax  the  lands  of  all  Roman  Catho 
lics.  I  wrote  you  the  16th  of  last  September  and 
then  enclosed  one  from  your  mama ;  as  you  do  not 
acknowledge  the  receipt  of  that  letter,  I  suppose 
your  mama's  letter  miscarried  with  it. 

I  am  glad  to  hear  you  enjoy  your  health  at 
Paris.  I  sent  your  letter  to  your  cousin,  Walter 
Hoxton.  There  was  no  final  decree  against  Dr. 
Carroll.  He  died  before  the  cause  was  ripe  for  a 
trial,  but  I  hope  his  son  will  be  obliged  in  time  to 
pay  what  his  father  justly  owed.  All  your  letters 
give  reason  to  hope  my  scheme  will  succeed.  I 
have  wrote  to  cousin  Anthony  to  whom  I  refer 
you  on  this  head,  as  I  refer  him  to  you  for  what 
follows:  You  desire  to  know  the  origin  of  our 
American  war,  and  the  events  that  have  happened 
in  the  course  of  it.  I  will  endeavor  to  satisfy  you 
in  as  clear  and  concise  a  manner  as  I  can.  If 
the  priority  of  discovery  was  only  to  give  a  title 
to  lands  in  America,  the  King  of  Spain  would  be 
entitled  to  all  America ;  as  neither  France  or  Eng 
land  would  agree  to  such  a  claim  each  of  them 
must  found  their  title  to  their  several  dominions 
here  in  possession.  The  uncontested  possessions 
of  the  English  seem  to  be  from  Kennebeki  River 
southward  to  the  river  Savanna  which  is  the 
northern  boundary  of  our  new  colony  of  Georgia. 

The  possessions  of  the  French  before  the  Treaty 
of  Utrecht  were  from  the  Keenebeki  to  the  north 
ward  to  include  Arcadie,  all  Nova  Scotia,  New 
France  or  Canada,  and  Louisiana.  The  first  set- 


62    CHARLES  CAEROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

tlements  of  both  nations  were  upon  the  shores  of 
the  seas  and  rivers  that  wash  their  several  terri 
tories.  As  their  colonies  increased  the  French 
extended  their  settlements  to  the  eastward,  the 
English  theirs  to  the  westward.  The  settlements 
under  the  different  nations  now  approaching  each 
other  the  question  is  how  far  the  English  shall 
extend  theirs  to  the  westward  and  the  French 
theirs  to  the  eastward. 

The  English  in  many  or  most  of  their  grants 
extend  the  western  bounds  of  their  colonies  to  the 
South  Sea  but  may  be  not  with  much  justice  or 
reason,  for  by  this  pretension  they  would  not  only 
swallow  up  all  the  French  settlements  on  the 
Mississippi,  but  New  Mexico  which  the  Spaniards 
will  hardly  consent  to.  Nature  seems  to  have 
pointed  out  other  boundaries  to  the  two  nations 
which  perhaps  in  the  next  treaty  of  peace  they 
may  establish.  The  French  as  settled  on  St. 
Lawrence  and  Mississippi,  I  suppose  claim  all  the 
lands  watered  by  the  several  rivers  and  streams 
falling  into  the  said  rivers.  The  English  by  a 
parity  of  reason  may  as  justly  claim  the  lands 
lying  on  the  several  rivers  and  streams  emptying 
themselves  into  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  This  diver 
sion  of  the  waters  is  made  by  the  Apalathean 
Mountains  which  take  their  rise  in  the  point  of 
Florida  and  extend  thence  to  the  northward,  in 
clining  more  or  less  to  the  eastward,  and  this 
chain  of  mountains  as  I  said  before,  may  perhaps 
be  hereafter  agreed  on  as  the  common  boundary 
between  the  contending  powers. 

The  dispute  about  their  possessions  to  the  north 
ward  is  of  a  more  intricate  nature.  The  French 
were  certainly  the  first  settlers  not  only  of 
Canada  but  of  Nova  Scotia  and  Acadie  which  they 
contend  to  be  two  different  provinces.  The  Eng 
lish  on  the  contrary  contend  that  Nova  Scotia 
includes  all  Acadie.  The  priority  of  the  French 
possession  of  the  aforesaid  countries  I  believe  is 
undisputed,  and  tho'  they  were  formerly  dis 
turbed  in  their  possession  of  Nova  Scotia,  under 


STUDENT  LIFE  AT  LE  GRAND     63 

which  name  I  include  Acadie,  yet  by  treaties  Nova 
Scotia  was  always  restored  to  them,  except  by  the 
treaty  of  Utrecht.  By  the  Treaty  of  Utrecht  the 
French  ceded  all  Nova  Scotia  to  England.  The 
dispute  at  present  between  the  two  nations  is 
about  the  bounds  of  Nova  Scotia,  which  the  French 
pretend  to  establish  in  such  a  manner  as  to  leave 
out  a  great  part  of  that  province  to  themselves 
under  the  names  of  Acadie  and  Gaspisie.  As  far 
as  I  have  read,  the  English  by  the  Treaty  of 
Utrecht,  seem  to  have  a  right  to  all  Nova  Scotia 
and  Acadia,  but  as  provinces  and  states  seldom 
think  themselves  bound  by  treaties  which  unsuc 
cessful  war,  or  a  bad  state  of  affairs,  forces  them 
to  enter  into,  I  imagine  that  France,  seeing  the 
importance  of  Nova  Scotia  and  Acadia,  not  only 
to  their  trade  and  navigation,  but  to  their  colony 
of  Canada,  are  now  endeavoring  to  avail  them 
selves  of  a  favorable  time  and  occasion  to  recover 
by  force  Nova  Scotia  and  Acadia,  which  only  force 
and  necessity  wrested  from  them. 

According  ever  since  the  Treaty  of  Aix-la- 
Chapelle,  the  French  have  been  encroaching  on 
the  English  in  Nova  Scotia.  They  made  some 
settlements  at  St.  John's  Eiver  in  the  Bay  of 
Fundy,  or  as  the  French  call  it  Baye  Francois; 
they  erected  forts  on  the  peninsula  between  Bay 
Vert  and  Beaubasin.  The  English  last  summer 
took  these  places  from  the  French  by  forces  sent 
from  New  England,  with  little  loss,  and  have  re 
moved  all  the  French  neutrals  in  Nova  Scotia, 
some  say  to  the  number  of  12  or  15,000  souls,  to 
their  different  colonies  on  the  continent,  where 
they  have  been  treated  with  more  or  less  humanity. 
It  has  been  the  misfortune  of  900  and  odd  of  these 
poor  people  to  be  sent  to  Maryland,  where  they 
have  been  entirely  supported  by  private  charity, 
and  the  little  they  can  get  by  their  labor,  which 
for  want  of  employment  has  been  but  a  poor  re 
source  to  them.  Many  of  them  would  have  met 
with  very  humane  treatment  from  the  Roman 


64    CHAELES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

Catholics  here,  but  a  real  or  pretended  jealousy 
inclined  this  government  not  to  suffer  them  to  live 
with  Roman  Catholics.  I  offered  the  government 
to  take  and  support  two  families  consisting  of 
fourteen  souls,  but  was  not  permitted  to  do  it. 

The  case  of  these  poor  unhappy  people  is  so 
hard  that  I  wonder  it  has  not  been  taken  notice  of 
by  some  of  our  political  writers  in  England.  They, 
since  the  Treaty  of  Utrecht  have  been  permitted 
to  enjoy  their  property  and  possessions  upon  tak 
ing  an  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  King  of  England. 
This  oath  they  say  they  have  never  violated,  the 
truth  whereof  seems  to  be  confirmed  by  the  capitu 
lations  of  the  forts  of  Beaubasin,  by  an  article 
whereof  the  neutrals  taken  in  these  forts  were 
pardoned  as  being  forced  by  the  French  under 
the  pain  of  military  execution  to  take  up  arms. 
However  their  fidelity  was  suspected  and  they 
have  been  sacrificed  to  the  security  of  our  settle 
ments  in  her  part  of  the  world.  They  have  neither 
been  treated  as  subjects  or  enemies;  as  subjects 
they  were  entitled  to  the  benefit  of  our  laws,  and 
ought  to  have  been  tried  and  found  guilty  before 
they  could  be  punished,  and  to  punish  them  all, 
all  ought  to  have  been  tried  and  convicted.  If 
they  are  deemed  enemies  they  ought  to  be  treated 
as  such  and  maintained  as  prisoners  of  war.  But 
no  care  has  been  taken  here  in  that  respect. 

These  poor  people  for  their  numbers  were  per 
haps  the  most  happy  of  any  on  the  globe.  They 
manufactured  all  they  wore,  and  their  manufac 
tures  were  good;  they  raised  in  great  plenty 
the  provisions  they  consumed ;  their  inhabitations 
were  warm  and  comfortable;  they  were  all  upon 
a  level,  being  all  husbandmen,  and  consequently  as 
void  of  ambition  as  human  nature  can  be.  They 
appear  to  be  very  regular  and  religious,  and  that 
from  principle  and  a  perfect  knowledge  of  their 
duty,  which  convinces  me  that  they  were  blessed 
with  excellent  pastors.  But  alas,  how  is  their  case 
altered.  They  were  at  once  stripped  of  every 
thing  but  the  clothes  on  their  backs;  many  have 


The  drive  leading   to  the  Manor 


Interior  of  the  Manor  House 


STUDENT  LIFE  AT  LE  GRAND     65 

died  in  consequence  of  their  sufferings,  and  the 
survivors  see  no  prospect  before  them  but  want 
and  misery. 

The  first  hostilities  on  the  Ohio  began  in  1754. 
The  Virginians  attempted  to  build  a  fort  there, 
which  the  French  prevented,  and  constructed  one 
themselves  called  Fort  DuQuesne.  It  was  upon 
his  march  to  this  fort  that  General  Braddock  was 
defeated  and  killed.  The  victory  was  as  complete 
as  could  be.  We  lost  at  least  800  in  the  field.  The 
greatest  part  of  our  train  and  magazines  fell  into 
the  enemies  hands,  the  rest  was  destroyed  to  facili 
tate  our  retreat.  What  adds  to  our  shame  is  that 
we  suffered  this  disgrace  from  between  three  and 
five  hundred  Indians.  This  information  I  had 
from  an  officer  of  distinction  who  I  believe  knew 
what  he  said  to  be  fact,  and  on  whose  honor  and 
veracity  I  have  reason  to  rely.  I  hope  for  the 
honor  of  the  French  nation,  that  Indians  were  only 
concerned  in  this  action,  for  the  wounded  were  all 
massacred,  an  inhumanity  which  I  am  confident 
French  officers  and  soldiers  would  not  be  guilty  of. 

The  next  action  of  consequence  was  between 
the  troops  under  the  command  of  the  Generals 
Dieskau  and  Johnson  near  the  Lake  of  the  Sac 
rament.  The  loss  of  men  on  either  side  was  very 
inconsiderable ;  I  believe  we  lost  most,  about  three 
hundred.  We  were  prevented  from  attacking  Fort 
St.  Frederic,  as  were  the  French  from  destroying 
General  Shirley's  army  at  Oswego  on  Lake 
Ontario,  by  cutting  off  the  communication  between 
Albany  and  that  place.  In  case  Dieskau  (who  is 
still  at  New  York  and  likely  to  live)  had  been 
victorious,  Shirley  must  have  surrendered  himself, 
his  army  and  Oswego,  probably  without  striking  a 
stroke.  Albany  must  also  have  surrendered,  and 
New  York  perhaps  might  have  been  destroyed, 
which  will  give  you  a  proper  idea  of  the  import 
ance  of  the  lucky  stand  made  by  General  Johnson, 
whose  service  has  been  honorably  and  bountifully 
rewarded  by  his  Majesty. 


66     CHAELES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

Since  that  action  both  Nations  seem  to  act  on  a 
defensive  plan,  except  that  the  French  by  parties 
have  now  and  then  surprised  small  convoys  of 
prisoners,  &c.,  going  to  Oswego.  Our  naval  force 
on  Lake  Ontario  according  to  our  Gazettes,  con 
sists  of  seven  armed  scows,  brigs,  sloops,  and 
schooners  carrying  22  six  pounders,  52  four 
pounders,  and  80  swivels,  and  upwards  of  230 
whaleboats  each  carrying  16  men.  I  know  not 
what  vessels  the  French  have  there  to  oppose  us. 
Their  not  attacking  Oswego  last  winter  seems  to 
point  out  their  weakness.  This  is  all  I  know  of 
the  events  of  the  war  to  the  northward  of  this 
time,  except  several  murders  committed  by  their 
savages. 

From  New  York  southward,  since  Braddock's 
defeat,  the  French  have  only  attacked  us  by  their 
Indians,  who  have  (committed)  and  still  continue 
to  commit,  the  most  shocking  barbarities  on  our 
back  settlers  in  Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  and 
Virginia;  but  I  find  these  our  sufferings  are 
vastly  magnified  in  the  English  papers.  I  do  not 
believe  these  provinces  have  lost  at  this  time, 
killed  and  captivated,  three  hundred  souls,  200  in 
Pennsylvania,  about  25  in  Maryland,  the  rest  in 
Virginia.  The  remotest  of  my  lands  have  not 
suffered,  and  I  think  myself  and  your  mama  to 
be  in  no  more  danger  than  you  are  at  Paris,  Mary 
land  being  in  a  great  measure  screened  by  the 
more  advanced  settlements  of  Pennsylvania  and 
Virginia.  The  Indians  act  as  wolves  in  small 
parties  and  by  surprise,  and  it  is  no  wonder  that 
the  British  subjects  entirely  undisciplined,  should 
hitherto  have  suffered,  but  daily  precautions  are 
taking  for  our  security,  by  erecting  lines  of  forts 
on  all  our  frontier  which  will  not  only  protect  us 
but  intercept  the  savages  on  their  retreat,  which 
they  constantly  make  as  soon  as  they  (paper  torn). 
My  plantation  where  you  lived  has  been  greatly 
improved.  But  that  and  all  my  other  possessions 
I  am  determined  to  quit,  if  I  can  meet  with  the 


STUDENT  LIFE  AT  LE  GEAND     67 

success  I  expect  from  my  scheme.  I  shall  remove 
from  a  settled  and  a  well  improved  estate,  and  in 
the  scale  of  which  I  expect  to  lose  to  the  value  of 
at  least  L.  10,000  sterling;  but  to  procure  ease  to 
myself  by  flying  from  the  pursuits  of  envy  and 
malice,  and  to  procure  a  good  establishment  for 
you,  I  am  willing  to  undergo  and  struggle  with  all 
the  difficulties  and  inconveniences  attending  on  a 
new  settlement  in  a  new  climate.  There  is  but 
one  man  in  the  Province  whose  fortune  equals 
mine.  Judge  from  this  of  the  love  I  bear  you, 
but  at  the  same  time  be  persuaded  that  my  affec 
tion  is  greatly  increased  by  the  most  agreeable 
accounts  I  receive  of  your  pious,  prudent  and 
regular  behavior,  of  your  sweet  temper  and  dis 
position,  of  the  proficiency  and  figure  you  make  in 
your  studies. 

Other  letters  to  his  son  following  the  one  given  are 
more  of  a  family  nature  but  all  show  the  close  fellow 
ship  between  father  and  son.  In  one  of  these  the 
senior  Carroll  in  acknowledging  the  son 's  good  wishes 
says: 

' '  My  dear  Child :  I  thank  you  for  your  good 
wishes ;  nothing  can  happen  to  me  more  agreeable 
than  a  completion  of  them.  However,  I  beg  you 
will  be  persuaded  that  in  every  step  of  mine  relat 
ing  to  you,  your  happiness  only  has  been  my  aim. 
Make  use  of  the  advantages  I  give  you;  improve 
your  time  and  in  a  few  years  you  will  clearly  see 
the  advantages  bestowed  on  you  by  a  provident 
and  tender  father. ' ' 

He  advised  his  son  not  to  make  too  general  an 
acquaintance.  A  return  of  civilities  to  all,  but  an 
intimacy  not  to  be  contracted  with  any.  He  tells  the 
boy  that  it  is  much  easier  to  make  acquaintance  than 
to  shake  off  an  acquaintance  when  made. 

Having  attained  his  majority,  young  Charles  was  to 


68    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

go  to  London  and  spend  some  time  in  study  and 
society.  His  father  wrote  him  to  be  courteous  and 
friendly  to  the  Lord  Proprietor  if  he  met  him  but  not 
to  go  out  of  the  way  to  show  any  special  deference. 
The  father  evidently  hadn't  any  great  regard  for  a 
man  he  thought  had  changed  his  religion  to  advance 
his  material  condition.  The  Catholics  of  Maryland 
were  still  under  many  restrictions.  All  but  those 
especially  exempted  had  to  pay  double  taxes,  could  not 
vote  and  were  not  permitted  to  hold  office.  On  one 
occasion  the  elder  Carroll  wrote  "And  all  this  is  a 
province  founded  by  Catholics,  with  religious  liberty 
and  toleration  for  all,  as  the  main  feature  of  its 
government. ' ' 

Fretting  somewhat  under  these  conditions,  Mr.  Car 
roll  on  reaching  home  from  a  visit  to  his  son  in  1759, 
wrote  that  he  still  felt  like  selling  the  Maryland  estates 
and  moving  to  a  new  country  on  account  of  the  future 
of  the  boy. 

In  1760  Mr.  Carroll  senior  wrote  to  his  son  that  he 
must  remain  at  his  studies  for  fully  four  years  more, 
saying,  '  '  you  cannot  acquire  perfect  knowledge  of  the 
law  in  less."  The  death  of  Mary  Brooke  Carroll, 
mother  of  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton,  occurred 
March  12,  1761,  while  the  young  man  was  a  student  in 
London.  She  had  been  ill  for  more  than  two  years 
and  for  ten  months  he  had  expected  each  mail  to  bring 
news  of  her  death. 

Letters  between  the  father  and  son  while  the  latter 
was  a  student  in  London  are  of  the  same  loving  tone 
and  the  young  man  tells  details  of  his  life  in  the  great 
city  and  the  progress  he  is  making  in  his  studies.  The 
father  repeats  his  wish  to  leave  the  Province  on 
account  of  the  ill  treatment  of  the  Catholics  and  in  a 
letter  dated  July  14,  1760,  says,  "  if  I  were  younger  I 


STUDENT  LIFE  AT  LE  GRAND  69 

would  certainly  leave  here. ' '  He  recommends  the  son 
to  learn  the  art  of  bookkeeping  and  also  surveying. 
The  son  tells  his  father  of  his  work  in  tracing  the 
genealogy  of  the  family  and  generally  of  his  life  and 
activities  in  London.  He  visited  the  House  of  Com 
mons  frequently  and  had  the  opportunity  of  hearing 
Mr.  Pitt  and  other  distinguished  men.  He  tells  of  one 
visit  where  he  found  Mr.  Pitt  "  for  once  dull,  tedious 
and  insipid." 

He  makes  frequent  and  interesting  mention  of  his 
studies,  explains  how  he  is  pursuing  the  study  of  law, 
tells  that  he  had  acquired  a  knowledge  of  bookkeeping 
sufficient  for  carrying  accounts  of  his  own  affairs ;  and 
for  examinations  of  books  kept  by  others. 

The  father  tells  of  the  doings  at  home  and  especially 
of  matters  likely  to  be  of  most  interest  to  the  young 
man.  He  entered  "  Nimble, "  a  horse  belonging  to 
young  Charles  for  the  races.  Nimble  won  two  heats 
but  lost  the  race. 

In  a  letter  written  in  April,  1763,  Charles  Carroll 
of  Annapolis  begins  telling  his  son  to  make  prepara 
tions  for  returning  home.  He  instructs  him  to  look 
around  about  February,  impresses  upon  him  to  find  a 
substantial  seaworthy  ship  with  a  neat  captain  and  one 
who  lives  well.  He  warns  him  against  getting  on  a  ship 
with  "  servants  and  fellows  "  and  insists  that  too 
many  cabin  passengers  will  not  be  found  desirable. 
Three  or  four  will  be  enough  for  company.  He  says 
'  '  be  very  inquisitive  about  the  age  of  the  ship  ' '  and 
adds  "  about  this  time  twelve  months  I  shall  be  as 
impatient  as  you  have  been  for  a  long  time  past." 
He  makes  a  postcript  to  say  "  I  have  been  offered  100 
pounds  for  Nimble  and  have  refused  it. ' ' 

Young  Charles  wrote  his  father  about  a  Miss  Baker 
to  whom  he  was  paying  attention.  His  father  hopes 


70  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

"  the  young  lady  may  be  endowed  with  all  the  good 
sense  and  good  nature  you  say  she  has. ' '  But  nothing 
came  of  the  matter,  so  that  Charles  Carroll  returned  to 
find  his  bride  among  the  ladies  of  the  Province.  There 
was  some  talk  of  Miss  Baker's  fortune  which  was 
small,  but  this  does  not  seem  to  have  had  any  bearing 
on  the  matter. 


CHAPTER  VI 

PREPARING  FOR  HIS  RETURN  TO  THE  HOME  OF  HIS 
CHILDHOOD 

The  correspondence  between  the  father  and  son  dur 
ing  the  last  year  of  young  Charles '  life  abroad  related 
mostly  to  the  preparations  for  the  young  man's  re 
turn.  The  father's  letters  contained  reminders  of  the 
necessities  of  the  voyage  and  of  the  things  he  should 
bring  over.  Among  these  were  some  good  blooded 
stock,  books,  book  cases,  house  furniture  and  other 
things  which  in  that  day  the  colonists  imported  from 
England.  Young  Charles  spoke  of  a  servant  but 
hardly  had  thought  that  a  good  one  could  be  induced  to 
transport  himself.  He  admits  a  want  of  the  practical 
side  of  a  law  education  because  he  could  not  find  such 
an  instructor  as  seemed  desirable.  In  a  letter  dated 
September,  1763,  Mr.  Carroll  senior  mentions  that  his 
grandfather  was  living  in  1688.  It  is  thought  more 
than  probable  that  he  died  just  previous  to  the  visit 
which  Charles,  the  immigrant,  made  to  London  at  the 
time  of  the  death  of  Lord  Baltimore. 

About  this  time  Mr.  Carroll  senior  in  a  letter  to  the 
young  man  in  London  gives  a  summary  of  his  estate. 
The  estimate  of  value  made  at  that  time  was  as  fol 
lows: 

40,000  acres  of  land,  two  seats 
alone  containing  each  upwards 
of  12,000  acres  would  now  sell  at 
20  shillings  per  acre £40,000 

1/5  of  iron  works  with  forges, 
150  ,  teams,  carts  and  30,000 
acres,  a  growing  estate  which 
produces  to  my  one-fifth  annu 
ally  £400 10,000 

[71] 


72    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

20  lots  and  houses  in  Annapolis . . .  £4,000 

285  slaves  £30  each 8,550 

Cattle,  horses,  stock  and  tools  and 

plantations  1,000 

Silver  and  household  plate 600 

Debts  outstanding  at  interest  when 

I  balanced  my  books 24,230.97 


£88,380.97 

You  must  not  suppose  my  annual  income  to 
equal  the  interest  on  the  value  of  my  estate.  Many 
of  my  lands  are  unimproved,  but  I  compute  I  have 
a  clear  revenue  of  at  least  1,800  per  annum,  and 
the  value  of  my  estate  is  annually  increasing. 

I  propose  upon  your  coming  to  Maryland  to  con 
vey  to  you  my  Manor  of  Carrollton  10,000  acres 
and  the  addition  thereto  of  2,700  acres  now  pro 
ducing  annually  £250  sterling,  one-half  of  which  is 
let.  Also  my  share  of  the  iron  works  producing  at 
least  400£. 

On  my  death  I  am  willing  to  add  my  Manor  of 
Doughoregon  10,000  acres  and  also  1,425  acres 
called  Chance  adjacent  thereto  on  which  the  bulk 
of  my  negroes  are  settled.  As  you  are  my  only 
child  you  will,  of  course,  have  all  the  residue  of 
my  estate  at  my  death.  Your  return  to  me  will  be, 
I  hope  next  Fall. 

Some  time  previous  to  this,  Mr.  Jenison,  one  of  the 
Masters,  wrote  the  following  letter  to  Maryland  and  it 
was  doubtless  very  gratifying  to  the  elder  Carroll  for 
he  endorsed  it  :• 

"A  character  of  my  son: 

By  Mr.  Jenison  his  Master." 

Tho '  I  am  not  in  a  disposition  of  writing  letters, 
having  lost  this  morning  the  finest  young  man,  in 
every  respest,  that  ever  enter 'd  the  House,  you  will 
perhaps,  afterwards,  have  the  pleasure  of  assuring 
yourself  by  experience  that  I  have  not  exaggerated 


PREPARING  FOR  HIS  RETURN  HOME    73 

Charles  Carroll's  character  in  the  foregoing  lines. 
The  Captain  will  be  able  to  give  you,  I  hope,  a 
satisfactory  account  of  him.  It  is  very  natural  I 
should  regret  the  loss  of  one  who  during  the  whole 
time  he  was  under  my  care,  never  deserved,  on  any 
account,  a  single  harsh  word,  and  whose  sweet 
temper  rendered  him  equally  agreeable  both  to 
equals  and  superiors,  without  ever  making  him 
degenerate  into  the  mean  character  of  a  favorite 
which  he  always  justly  despised.  His  application 
to  his  Book  and  Devotions  was  constant  and 
unchangeable,  nor  could  we  perceive  the  least 
difference  in  his  conduct  evern  after  having  read 
the  news  of  his  destination,  which,  you  know,  is 
very  usual  with  young  people  here.  This  short 
character  I  owe  to  his  deserts  —  prejudice  I  am 
convinced,  has  no  share  in  it,  as  I  find  the  public 
voice  confirms  my  sentiments.  Both  inclination 
and  justice  prompt  me  to  say  more,  yet  I  rather 
chuse  to  leave  the  rest  to  Captain  Carroll,  to 
inform  you  of  by  word  of  mouth. 

During  his  stay  in  London  he  made  many  short  trips 
to  interesting  places  in  the  vicinity.  And  he  made  it  a 
point  as  far  as  possible  to  go  to  places  not  usually 
visited  by  the  traveler.  He  became  much  interested  in 
the  names  he  found  had  been  transferred  to  Maryland 
and  with  which  he  had  been  made  familiar  by  letters 
from  home,  and  by  the  Maryland  Gazette  of  which  he 
was  a  constant  reader  from  the  time  he  went  to  the 
college  in  Paris.  At  St.  Omer  his  masters  did  not  think 
it  well  for  his  mind  to  be  diverted  by  reading  the  news 
paper. 

On  a  visit  to  Yorkshire  he  went  to  see  Sherman 
Woods,  the  scene  of  Robin  Hoods'  adventures  and 
found  himself  dining  at  an  inn  at  Skipton  and  stopping 
at  Easton  and  Lewes.  He  wanted  to  see  the  River  Wye 
because  of  his  familiarity  with  the  name.  He  found  it 
a  romantic  and  picturesque  body  of  water  and  was 


74    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

interested  to  encounter  the  name  of  Plimhimmon  given 
to  one  of  the  nearby  mountains.  Years  afterwards 
when  the  eminent  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  was 
making  the  trip  up  Lake  George  in  New  York  State  he 
remarked  to  his  companions,  "  this  reminds  me  of  a 
section  of  the  Wye  in  England. ' ' 

He  took  the  greatest  interest  in  the  history  and  tra 
ditions  of  the  rooms  and  buildings  occupied  by  the 
lawyers  and  courts.  In  a  letter  to  his  father  he  seri 
ously  criticised  the  conditions  imposed  on  a  man  who 
desired,  after  his  qualification  as  to  learning,  to  become 
a  member  of  the  Temple.  The  student  must  obtain 
the  certificate  of  the  barristers  and  in  case  the  middle 
temple,  that  of  a  bencher  to  show  he  is  "  aptus  habitis, 
et  idoneus  montris  et  scientia. ' '  On  his  admission,  he 
has  the  use  of  the  library,  may  claim  a  seat  in  church 
or  chapel  of  the  Inn  and  can  have  his  name  set  down 
for  Chambers.  He  must  then  keep  commons,  by  din 
ing  in  hall  for  twelve  years,  of  which  there  are  four 
each  year.  Before  keeping  terms,  he  must  also  deposit 
100  with  the  treasurer,  to  be  returned  without  interest 
when  he  is  called  to  the  bar.  No  student  can  be  called 
till  he  is  of  three  years  standing  and  twenty-one  years 
old.  After  he  is  called  he  becomes  a  Barrister. 

The  young  man  thought  all  this  probably  well  enough 
for  one  who  was  expecting  to  earn  his  living  as  a  Lon 
don  lawyer,  but  he  couldn't  see  much  in  it  worth  while 
to  one  who  was  going  to  return  to  America  to  manage 
estates  and  enter  politics.  For  notwithstanding  all 
his  father  had  told  him  of  the  hindrance  he  would  meet 
with  on  account  of  his  religion  he  believed  a  way  would 
be  opened  and  that  he  would  be  able  to  take  such  a 
place  in  public  life  as  he  might  be  found  fitted  to 
occupy. 

In  London  young  Charles  pretty  closely  followed  his 
father 's  advice,  to  treat  all  with  civility  but  made  few 


PBEPARIN0  FOE  HIS  RETURN  HOME    75 

intimacies.  He  belonged  to  several  clubs  and  visited 
them  frequently  and  met  the  civilities  of  the  day,  mak 
ing  the  acquaintance  of  such  as  he  cared  to  meet  on  a 
friendly  footing.  A  young  man  of  education,  refine 
ment  and  ample  means  would  have  no  difficulty  in 
making  acquaintances.  As  his  father  intimated  there 
would  be  much  greater  difficulty  in  getting  rid  of  the 
undesirable  ones.  This  he  fully  understood  and  acted 
accordingly.  There  were  a  number  of  young  men  from 
Maryland  in  London  at  this  time  completing  their 
educations  and  preparing  for  professional  careers. 
He  was  on  friendly  terms  with  all  these  and  some  of 
the  acquaintances  were  continued  with  pleasure  and 
advantages  after  their  return  to  the  Province.  Lloyd 
Dulany,  Edmund  Jennings,  John  Hammond,  Philip 
Lee,  Wm.  Paca  and  others  are  mentioned  as  among  the 
Marylandians  he  frequently  met  in  London.  He  doubt 
less  met  Cecelius  Calvert  and  treated  him  with  becom 
ing  courtesy  but  didn't  make  over  him.  Such  a  meeting 
was  not  considered  worth  mentioning  in  his  corre 
spondence. 

Finally  the  time  came  for  his  return  to  America. 
Many  and  in  detail  were  the  preparations  he  made. 
He  bought  stock  and  household  articles  including  books 
for  the  library  and  a  thousand  labels  for  putting  into 
the  books. 

Little  details  are  given  of  his  trip  over  except  that 
he  followed  his  father's  directions  in  chosing  a  ship 
and  found  the  officers  and  passengers  agreeable  people. 

There  is  no  record  of  the  fact  but  there  is  every  rea 
son  to  believe  that  Capt.  John  Barry  afterwards  known 
as  Commodore  Barry  was  a  young  officer  on  the  ship 
that  brought  Charles  Carroll  home.  The  Carrolls  had 
usually  made  it  a  point  to  travel  on  the  ship,  The  Two 
Sisters,  which  was  commanded  by  Captain  Carroll,  a 
distant  relative.  This  ship  made  regular  trips  between 


76   CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON. 

Annapolis  and  London  and  was  owned  by  Mr.  Perkins 
a  wealthy  merchant,  who  attended  to  the  affairs  of  the 
Carroll  family  in  London.  Many  of  the  young  Mary- 
landians  studying  in  London  made  the  trips  across  the 
Atlantic  in  The  Two  Sisters.  But  this  ship  had  gone 
out  of  commission  and  Captain  Carroll  had  retired 
before  the  return  of  young  Charles.  This  accounts  for 
the  instructions  of  the  elder  Carroll  about  looking  for 
a  suitable  ship.  That  the  young  man  found  such  a  one 
is  evidenced  by  the  fact  of  the  pleasant  and  prompt 
voyage  he  had. 

Nothing  is  anywhere  said  about  young  Barry  being 
on  the  ship  that  brought  Mr.  Carroll  home.  But  they 
were  well  acquainted  previous  to  Captain  Barry  >s 
deciding  to  apply  to  the  Marine  Board  for  a  command 
in  the  proposed  navy  of  the  United  Colonies.  Barry's 
home  was  in  Philadelphia  which  city  the  Carrolls  often 
visited,  but  as  Barry  was  most  of  the  time  at  sea  there 
was  not  much  chance  of  their  getting  acquainted 
there.  It  is  evident  that  Captain  Barry  knew  him  well 
when  he  went  to  Annapolis  for  a  talk  about  the  pros 
pects  of  a  commission  in  the  navy  and  several  cir 
cumstances  make  it  seem  probable  that  the  acquaint 
ance  was  made  during  Mr.  Carroll's  trip  to  America. 

Captain  Barry  sailed  in  ships  that  traveled  from 
Liverpool  to  Annapolis  and  was  familiar  with  the 
Maryland  metropolis.  That  the  lifelong  acquaintance 
and  friendship  that  existed  between  the  two  men  began 
when  Charles  Carroll  was  returning  to  America  in  his 
twenty-seventh  year  and  Barry  was  the  twenty-one 
year  old  officer  of  the  ship  is  more  than  probable. 

On  the  arrival  of  young  Charles  Carroll  in  Annap 
olis  in  1764,  the  Manor  at  Carrollton  was  fitted  up 
with  the  idea  of  it  becoming  the  home  of  young 
Charles ;  and  from  the  time  of  his  arrival  in  this  coun 
try  he  was  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  and  he  always 


PREPARING  FOR  HIS  RETURN  HOME    77 

so  wrote  his  name.  The  blooded  stock,  the  book  cases 
and  furniture  were  transported  to  the  Manor  at  Car- 
rollton  but  young  Charles  at  first  put  in  most  of  his 
time  in  Annapolis  where  his  father  maintained  a  city 
home. 

Since  the  above  was  written  a  Life  of  Jack  Barry  published  in 
Hartford,  Conn.,  in  1809,  has  been  discovered.  It  tells  much  of 
the  adventures  of  this  patriotic  sailor  not  known  to  readers  of  the 
present  day  and  not  mentioned  in  any  history  or  encyclopedia.  It 
explains  the  beginning  of  the  acquaintance  between  Charles  Carroll 
of  Carrollton  and  First  Mate  Barry  on  Mr.  Carroll's  voyage 
returning  to  America  when  Mr.  Carroll  was  26  years  old  and 
Mate  Barry  barely  21.  The  author  of  this  work  has  access  to  a 
copy  of  this  book  the  property  of  a  prominent  man  in  Brooklyn. 
The  owner  refuses  to  sell  the  Life  of  Barry  but  has  put  it  at  the 
disposal  of  the  author  of  this  work  for  literary  purposes. 


CHAPTER  VII 

RETURNS  TO  MARYLAND  AND  BECOMES  CHARLES 
CARROLL  OF   CARROLLTON 

Charles  Carroll  came  home  an  accomplished,  edu 
cated,  traveled  young  man.  His  father  doubtless 
found  in  him  all  he  had  hoped  to  find;  a  well  poised 
and  also  a  well  posted  and  well  read  man.  Never 
father  built  more  on  the  possibilities  of  a  son,  and 
never  son  more  fully  met  the  fondest  hopes  of  a  father. 
He  had  met  men,  studied  books  and  visited  places. 
He  was  prepared  to  associate  with  the  men  who  were 
dominating  public  affairs,  and  to  become  one  of  the 
most  influential  of  those  dominating  spirits.  His 
experience  and  contact  with  the  best  minds  of  Europe 
served  to  make  him  self-reliant  as  well  as  keen,  clear 
headed  and  assertive.  His  father  most  likely,  merely 
hoped  that  he  would  turn  out  to  be  a  prosperous  busi 
ness  man,  an  influential  citizen  and  a  high  grade  Chris 
tian  gentleman.  But  doubtless  the  son  had  aims  at 
position,  influence  and  usefulness  commensurate  with 
his  ability  and  equipment;  notwithstanding  the  dis 
advantage  under  which  he  labored  by  reason  of  his 
religion.  He  meant  from  the  first  to  make  his  talents 
so  useful  that  the  public  would  demand  and  receive  the 
best  that  was  in  him. 

He  came  directly  to  Annapolis  where  he  was  met  by 
his  father.  The  blooded  stock  and  utensils  he  had 
brought  over  were,  most  of  them,  sent  to  the  estate 
called  Carrollton.  This  estate  his  father  transferred 
to  him  with  much  other  property  and  the  young  man 
became  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton.  He  always 
wrote  his  name  that  way  from  this  time  on,  and  the 
stories  of  his  adding  "  of  Carrollton  "  as  an  after- 

[70] 


80    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

thought  had  no  foundation  in  fact.  He  was  Charles 
Carroll  of  Carrollton,  and  so  he  always  wrote  his 
name.  His  father  resided  at  Doughoregon  Manor  and 
the  younger  man  at  Carrollton,  but  a  house  was  main 
tained  in  Annapolis  which  under  the  broad  hospitality 
of  that  day  was  the  joint  home  of  father  and  son  as 
well  as  the  abiding  place  of  any  member  of  the  family 
who  happened  to  find  it  convenient  to  be  in  Annapolis. 
Both  of  the  Carrolls  spent  much  of  their  time  in  Annap 
olis,  because  it  was  a  central  point  for  their  business 
affairs,  and  being  the  capital  of  the  Province  they  here 
had  the  opportunity  of  frequently  meeting  the  leading 
men  of  this  Province  and  as  well  those  of  other 
colonies,  who  came  here  on  political  or  business  visits. 

All  the  odious  laws  against  Catholics  were  still  on 
the  books  but  were  less  rigorously  enforced  than  for 
merly.  The  earnest  talk  of  a  wholesale  departure  of 
Catholics  for  the  French  southwest  had  deeply  im 
pressed  itself  on  the  citizens  of  the  Province  and  life 
for  the  Catholics  had  become  much  more  tolerable. 
But  the  disqualifications  from  holding  office  continued, 
though  the  Carrolls  and  a  few  others  were  excepted  in 
the  letter  as  well  as  the  spirit  of  the  law. 

At  once  he  busied  himself  with  the  affairs  of  the 
plantations  and  devoted  his  time  to  devising  improved 
methods  of  industry  and  to  applying  the  knowledge  he 
had  gained  in  his  travels.  He  had  picked  up  some  ideas 
in  Ireland,  some  in  Wales  and  some  in  Holland  as  well 
as  in  England  and  France.  He  brought  much  that  was 
new  and  soon  became  deeply  interested  in  the  applica 
tion  of  the  ideas  he  had  picked  up. 

He  took  great  interest  in  the  growth  and  develop 
ment  of  Baltimore  which  was  now  a  considerable  city 
having  a  population  of  some  eighteen  thousand  and 
still  growing  rapidly.  Though  not  a  resident  or  voter 
he  had  great  interest  in  its  affairs.  The  county  seat  of 


RETURNS  TO  MARYLAND  81 

Baltimore  County  was  still  at  Jappa  to  the  great  incon 
venience  of  the  people ;  but  about  the  time  of  Mr.  Car 
roll's  first  visit  a  movement  was  on  foot  to  build  a 
court  house  and  jail  in  the  city  and  move  the  county 
seat  from  Jappa  to  Baltimore.  The  lot  on  Calvert 
street  where  the  monument  now  stands  was  secured 
and  the  court  house  built  on  the  east  end  of  the  lot  and 
the  jail  was  erected  facing  what  is  now  St.  Paul's 
street. 

Mr.  Fell,  a  leading  citizen  of  Baltimore,  died  about 
this  time  and  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  represent 
ing  his  father  attended  the  greatest  funeral  the  city 
had  seen  up  to  that  period  of  its  history.  Mr.  Fell 
owned  that  part  of  the  city  still  known  as  Fells  Point 
and  did  much  towards  giving  the  new  metropolis  its 
first  impetus.  In  1769  Charles  Carroll  of  Annapolis 
started  a  subscription  to  buy  the  first  fire  engine  and 
Baltimore's  first  fire  company,  "  The  Mechanical," 
was  organized.  The  important  part  that  fire  companies 
played  in  later  years,  in  the  social,  economic,  political 
and  judicial  history  of  Baltimore,  only  the  old  Balti- 
morians  can  tell.  The  next  year  Mr.  Carroll  of  Annapo 
lis  donated  the  lot  on  Saratoga  street  and  Charles 
Carroll  of  Carrollton  headed  the  subscription  for  build 
ing  St.  Peters  Chapel  the  first  Catholic  place  of  wor 
ship  in  Baltimore.  It  was  ten  years,  however,  before 
a  regular  priest  was  engaged.  But  from  this  time  on 
there  was  less  discussions  on  religious  matters  between 
Catholics  and  Protestants,  mainly  because  other  ques 
tions  attracted  the  attention  of  the  people  and  the 
management  of  the  Church  of  England  in  the  Province 
had  fallen  into  disrepute.  In  1771  Mr.  Lemuel  Cravath 
of  Boston  came  to  the  Province  as  a  merchant  and 
proved  to  be  a  most  enterprising  man.  He  soon  made 
the  acquaintance  of  i  i  young  Mr.  Carroll  ' '  who  cooper 
ated  with  him  in  many  successful  undertakings.  From 


82     CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

early  life  to  old  age  it  was  a  habit  of  Mr.  Carroll  to 
find  some  one  skilled  in  a  particular  line  and  to  fur 
nish  the  money  for  developing  a  business.  In  the 
latter  part  of  his  life  he  said  "  It  is  pleasant  to  reflect 
that  I  usually  backed  the  right  people.  The  many  suc 
cesses  and  few  failures  of  our  enterprises  is  evidence 
of  this. " 

Joseph  Rathell  attempted  to  found  a  circulating 
library  in  1770  and  Mr.  Carroll  furnished  many  books 
which  he  had  brought  from  Europe.  The  effort  was 
not  successful  but  according  to  the  record  "  Mr. 
Rathell  honorably  returned  all  the  books  that  had  been 
entrusted  to  him." 

Mr.  Carroll's  first  winter  in  Annapolis  was  an 
unusually  severe  one,  and  winter  sports  became  popu 
lar.  The  newspaper  tell  of  his  becoming  one  of  a 
"  merry  set  of  gentlemen  who  erected  a  commodious 
tent  on  the  ice,  where  they  diverted  themselves  with 
dancing  reels  on  skates,  serving  good  dinners  and 
divers  other  amusements." 

In  his  studies  abroad  the  science  of  government  had 
taken  an  important  place.  The  books  sent  him  by  Mr. 
Perkins  from  London  show  this.  The  writings  of 
Locke  were  just  then  making  their  first  great  impres 
sion  on  the  minds  of  thoughtful  men  and  these  great 
works  with  similar  books  on  government,  rights  of 
man,  liberty,  etc.,  were  among  those  he  needed  and 
used  in  his  studies.  Though  his  father  believed  that 
the  doors  of  a  public  career  were  closed  to  his  son,  it 
is  doubtful  if  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  ever 
admitted  the  possibility  of  such  a  condition.  Certainly 
he  had  admirably  equipped  himself  for  an  important 
part  in  the  struggle  he  felt  was  impending.  During  the 
last  few  years  he  had  been  surrounded  but  not 
influenced  by  the  atmosphere  of  English  thought  and 
action.  His  innate  love  of  liberty  and  justice,  his  deep 


RETURNS  TO  MARYLAND  83 

sympathy  for  a  struggling  people,  and  a  desire  to  see 
public  wrongs  promptly  righted,  put  him  fully  on  the 
side  of  the  colonists  in  every  question  that  arose.  That 
he  was  heart,  soul,  mind  and  body  on  the  side  of  the 
people  and  so  admirably  equipped  for  the  conflict  is 
what  made  him  the  tremendous  instrument  for  good 
that  he  afterward  proved  to  be. 

Every  one  was  discussing  the  stamp  act  when  he 
reached  America  and  he  had  given  full  study  to  all 
phases  of  it  before  coming  and  while  on  the  sea. 

The  stamp  officer  for  Maryland,  Zacharial  Hood, 
was  so  despised  that  his  residing  in  the  Province  was 
made  impossible.  The  people  of  Annapolis  made  an 
effigy  of  Hood,  tied  it  to  a  cart  and  whipped  it  through 
the  streets. 

In  September  Mr.  Carroll  wrote  ' '  should  the  stamp 
act  be  enforced  by  a  tyrannical  parliament  our  prop 
erty,  our  liberty,  our  very  existence  would  be  at  an 
end."  On  the  30th  of  the  same  month  he  wrote  to  a 
friend  in  England : 

To  judge  from  the  number  of  colonists,  and  the 
spirit  they  have  already  shown,  and  which  I  hope 
to  God  will  not  fail  them  on  the  day  of  trial,  twenty 
thousand  men  would  find  it  difficult  to  enforce  the 
law;  or  more  properly  speaking  to  ram  it  down 
our  throats.  Can  England,  surrounded  with  pow 
erful  enemies,  distracted  with  intestine  factions, 
encumbered,  and  almost  staggering  under  the 
immense  load  of  debt  —  little  short  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  million  pounds  —  send  out  such  a  power 
ful  army  to  deprive  a  free  people,  their  fellow- 
subjects  of  their  rights  and  liberties'?  If  minis 
terial  influence  and  parliamentary  corruption 
should  not  blush  at  such  a  detestable  scheme;  if 
Parliament,  blind  to  their  own  interest,  and  for 
getting  that  they  are  the  guardians  of  sacred  lib 
erty  and  of  our  happy  constitution,  should  have 
the  impudence  to  avow  this  open  infraction  of 


84    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

both;  will  England,  her  commerce  annihilated  by 
the  opposition  of  America,  be  able  to  maintain 
those  troops'? 

Socially  he  soon  became  interested  in  the  doings  of 
his  family  and  friends  but  for  a  year  he  thought  to 
remain  a  bachelor.  In  May,  1766,  however,  he  shows 
a  change  of  heart  and  in  letters  to  his  friends  intimates 
that  he  will  be  married  in  June.  The  object  of  his 
affection  was  Miss  Rachael  Cooke.  The  wedding  was 
set  for  the  8th  of  July  but  in  June  he  was  taken  with 
a  fever  and  was  ill  for  some  weeks.  The  marriage,  of 
course,  had  to  be  put  off.  The  10th  of  November  was 
next  set  for  the  wedding  day.  He  speaks  in  tender 
loving  terms  of  Miss  Cooke  and  expected  to  be  mar 
ried  on  the  date  named.  But  Miss  Cooke  was  next 
taken  with  fever  and  on  the  date  set  for  the  wedding 
day  was  extremely  ill.  She  died  on  the  25th  of  Novem 
ber.  Writing  a  few  days  after  her  death,  he  says,  "  I 
loved  her  sincerely  and  had  every  reason  to  believe 
that  I  was  sincerely  loved.  Judge  of  my  loss  and  by 
it  of  what  I  now  feel."  He  was  with  her  at  the  time 
of  her  death. 

His  relations  with  his  father  were  most  cordial  and 
confidential  and  continued  so  all  their  lives.  Some  one 
told  his  friend  that  the  elder  Carroll  had  given  him 
£40,000.  To  this  he  wrote  saying  it  was  not  true ;  but 
the  truth  was  that  the  whole  fortune  of  his  father  was 
at  his  disposal. 

In  about  a  year  he  writes  to  a  friend  quoting, ' '  hope 
springs  eternal  in  the  human  heart  "  and  tells  of  his 
expectation  of  being  married  soon.  This  time  it  was 
Mary  Darnall  of  the  same  family  and  the  same  name 
as  his  grandmother  who  at  sixteen  won  the  heart  of 
Charles  Carroll  the  immigrant.  He  thinks  her  endowed 
with  every  quality  to  make  him  happy  in  the  married 
state.  She  has,  he  says,  virtue,  good  sense  and  good 


RETURNS  TO  MARYLAND  85 

temper.  He  intimates  that  she  may  be  a  little  too 
young  for  him  but  probably  recalls  that  his  grand 
father  and  grandmother  of  the  same  names  as  himself 
and  the  lady  were  about  the  ages  of  the  present  pair. 
The  greater  difference  in  years  was  on  the  side  of  the 
grandparents. 

On  account  of  some  business  reasons  it  was  desirable 
to  get  a  law  passed  in  regard  to  dower  and  settlements ; 
and  waiting  for  this,  the  marriage  was  postponed.  He 
mentions  that  though  she  has  not  money,  he  prefers 
her  thus  unprovided  for,  to  all  the  women  he  had  ever 
seen.  The  marriage  settlement  was  made  June  4th, 
1768,  and  on  the  following  day  they  were  married.  The 
Maryland  Gazette  announces  the  event  as  follows: 

On  Sunday  evening  was  married  at  his  father 's 
house  in  his  city,  Charles  Carroll,  Jr.,  to  Miss 
Mary  Darnall,  an  agreeable  young  lady  endowed 
with  every  accomplishment  necessary  to  make  the 
connubial  state  happy. 

His  love  of  his  native  land  had  been  in  no  wise 
dimmed  by  his  long  residence  abroad.  In  fact  he 
seems  never  to  have  lost  interest,  or  to  have  gotten  out 
of  touch  with  home  affairs.  This  is  wonderful  when 
one  thinks  how  far  away  Europe  was  in  that  day  and 
how  uncertain  and  irregular  correspondence  neces 
sarily  was.  But  he  read  the  newspaper,  had  an  exten 
sive  correspondence,  and  was  duly  and  fully  informed 
of  all  passing  events.  So  well  was  he  posted,  that  on 
returning  he  promptly  and  thoroughly  became  one  of 
the  people  of  the  Province,  imbued  with  all  their  pride 
and  love  of  the  region.  He  wrote  to  a  friend  in 
Europe  the  year  after  his  arrival : 

The  rapid  increase  of  manufactures  surpasses 
the  expectations  of  the  most  sanguine  American. 
Even  the  arts  and  sciences  commence  to  flourish, 


86    CHARLES  CAEBOLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

and  in. these,  as  in  arms,  the  day,  I  hope,  will  come 
when  America  will  be  superior  to  all  the  world. 
Without  prejudice  or  partiality,  I  do  not  believe 
the  universe  can  show  a  finer  country  —  so  luxu 
riant  in  its  soil ;  so  happy  in  a  healthy  climate ;  so 
extensively  watered  by  so  many  navigable  rivers ; 
and  producing  within  itself  not  only  all  the  neces 
saries,  but  even  most  of  the  superfluities  of  life. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON  IN  THE  CHAR 
ACTER  OF  THE  "  FIRST  CITIZEN  " 

The  spirit  of  discontent  and  resistance  that  per 
vaded  all  the  colonies  in  response  to  the  aggressions 
of  Great  Britain  continued  to  grow  stronger  in  Mary 
land.  This  feeling  was  so  general  and  so  pronounced 
that  Burke  was  moved  to  remark  of  it  "  even  the 
women  think  for  themselves. " 

Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  was  a  most  interested 
and  earnest  student  of  the  situation.  He  attended 
every  meeting,  discussed  conditions  calmly  with  the 
neighbors,  talked  over  matters  with  his  father;  and  he 
read  and  digested  every  item  of  information  that  came 
from  the  other  colonies.  But  he  made  no  speeches, 
wrote  no  letters  over  his  own  signatures,  and  gave  no 
advice  in  a  public  way.  Just  as  he  had  equipped  him 
self  most  fully  in  the  science  of  government  and  with 
a  knowledge  of  the  principles  on  which  such  science 
is  founded ;  so  he  determined  to  thoroughly  understand 
and  to  be  able  forcibly  to  present  every  phase  of 
the  local  difficulties  and  heavy  burdens  under  which 
the  people  of  this  colony  were  struggling.  Therefore, 
he  listened,  studied,  read  and  watched  as  well  as 
quietly  helping  in  working  out  the  problem  of  self -pro 
tection  that  confronted  the  people;  but  he  took  no 
public  part.  One  of  the  wealthiest  men  in  the  Province 
and  prospectively  the  wealthiest,  his  every  word  was 
heard  with  interest.  His  influence  and  power  was  not 
to  be  of  gradual  growth  but  was  to  burst  upon  the 
public  with  a  suddenness  as  well  as  an  ability  and 
force  that  would  sweep  everything  before  it. 

[87] 


88    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

Two  questions  were  deeply  stirring  the  Maryland 
Province  at  that  time,  aside  from  the  general  matters 
that  all  the  colonies  were  facing.  These  pertained  to 
taxation  in  a  local  way  by  the  authorities  of  the 
Province.  One  was  an  increase  of  the  tithes  by  the 
established  church  and  the  other  was  the  excessive, 
and  in  some  cases  illegal  fees  laid  by  the  officers  of 
the  colony.  In  the  first  controversy  Mr.  Carroll  took 
no  part.  Being  a  Catholic  he  thought  it  in  better  taste 
to  pay  his  taxes  and  make  no  opposition.  But  the  oper 
ation  of  excessive  fees  by  the  colonial  officials  he  studied 
deeply.  The  legislative  body  consisted  of  the  Assem 
bly  selected  by  the  people  and  the  Council  appointed 
by  the  Governor.  The  Assembly  attempted  to  pass  a 
new  law  reducing  these  fees.  This  act  was  not  con 
curred  in  by  the  Council,  several  of  whose  members 
were  beneficiaries  of  these  exorbitant  fees.  The  old 
law  had  expired  and  while  the  excitement  was  at  its 
highest  the  Governor  dissolved  the  Assembly,  took  the 
matter  of  tithes  and  fees  into  his  own  hands  and  set 
tled  them  by  a  proclamation.  The  people  generally 
regarded  this  act  as  tyrannical  and  arbitrary  in  the 
extreme.  But  it  was  defended  vigorously  by  the  clique 
that  had  profited  by  the  excessive  fees  in  the  past  and 
expected  to  do  so  in  the  future.  Among  these  were 
two  members  of  the  influential  Dulany  family,  one  the 
Attorney  General  and  the  other  the  Commissary  Gen 
eral  of  the  Province. 

The  Maryland  Gazette  published  in  Annapolis  was 
the  mouthpiece  of  all  who  had  anything  to  say  on  a 
public  question  as  well  as  the  vehicle  of  news.  Several 
communications  had  appeared  denouncing  the  course 
of  the  Governor  and  his  advisors  and  attracted  no 
great  notice.  But  there  now  appeared  a  defender  of 
the  Governor  who  was  evidently  a  man  of  great  ability, 
experience  and  learning.  His  letters  were  signed 


THE  «  FIEST  CITIZEN  "  89 

Antillon  and  the  first  one  which  appeared  January  7, 
1773,  attracted  general  attention.  It  was  cogent, 
classic  and  most  argumentative.  It  presented  the  case 
of  the  Governor  in  a  light  that  almost  staggered  his 
opponents.  The  paper  was  in  the  form  of  a  dialogue 
between  the  "  First  Citizen  "  and  "  Second  Citizen  " 
who  discussed  the  issues.  Each  presented  his  view  of  the 
case,  the  First  Citizen  taking  the  side  of  the  people  and 
the  Second  Citizen  the  side  of  the  Governor.  The 
learned  writer  seemed  to  have  won  his  cause  for  the 
Second  Citizen  by  making  out  a  case  for  the  Governor 
that  he  deemed  unanswerable. 

Suddenly  there  appeared  a  new  advocate  in  the  case. 
A  letter  signed  i '  The  First  Citizen  ' '  answered  every 
phase  of  the  question  so  ably  and  so  lucidly  that  the 
whole  Province  was  excited,  pleased  and  expectant. 
Who  could  "  The  First  Citizen  "be?  From  Prince 
George's  to  Elk  Landing  and  from  Frederick  to 
Somerset  the  question  was  asked  and  repeated.  Antil 
lon  came  back  with  a  reply  repeating  his  old  argu 
ments  and  infusing  no  little  bitterness  into  the  con 
troversy.  The  details  or  the  arguments  would  be  of 
little  interest  and  poorly  understood  at  this  late  day. 
Then  The  First  Citizen  replied  again.  By  this  time  it 
became  known  that  Antillon  was  Attorney  General 
Daniel  Dulany,  regarded  as  the  ablest  lawyer  in  the 
Province  and  as  other  letters  appeared  it  was  found 
out  that  the  First  Citizen  was  Charles  Carroll  of  Car- 
rollton,  the  learned  and  quiet  young  planter  who  had 
listened  so  carefully  and  said  so  little  on  public  affairs 
during  the  eight  years  since  his  return  to  the  colony. 
The  victory,  as  The  First  Citizen,  was  overwhelming 
and  was  even  more  so  because  after  the  authorship 
became  known  Mr.  Dulany  tried  to  turn  the  tide  by 
taunting  Mr.  Carroll  with  his  religious  beliefs. 


90     CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

A  historian  of  that  period  says  "  young  Mr.  Carroll 
participated  in  the  common  feelings  of  indignation 
against  the  Stamp  Act  and  contributed  by  his  writings 
in  opposition  to  the  more  subtle  but  not  less  dangerous 
taxation  of  commerce."  But  his  discussion  with  the 
Attorney  General  as  the  "  First  Citizen  "  was  the  first 
occasion  on  which  he  was  brought  conspicuously  info 
view  in  public  transactions  and  he  had  now  to  deal 
with  an  able  and  experienced  adversary,  with  whom 
victory  was  familiar  and  from  whom  defeat  was  not 
a  disgrace.  Mr.  Dulany  was  his  equal  in  education, 
his  superior  in  age,  experience  and  established  reputa 
tion;  more  conversant  with  the  various  interests  and 
institutions  of  the  colony;  more  skilled  in  the  pro 
found  researches  and  practical  applications  of  his  pro 
fession  ;  and  to  give  these  advantages  greater  force,  he 
was  a  Protestant  and  amongst  the  first  in  office  and 
confidence  under  an  exclusive  Protestant  government 
and  amongst  a  Protestant  people.  Mr.  Carroll  was  a 
Catholic  of  the  disfranchised  class,  who,  to  the  joint 
power  of  such  weapons  of  attack,  could  oppose  only 
the  force  of  his  cause,  the  resolute  spirit  and  the 
acquirements  of  a  cultivated  mind ;  yet  with  such  odds 
against  him  he  entered  the  contest.  In  the  letters  of 
Mr.  Dulany  is  seen  the  work  of  a  powerful  mind,  con 
fident  of  its  own  resources,  indignant  at  opposition, 
contemptuous  as  if  from  conscious  superiority,  and  yet 
sometimes  affecting  contempt  as  the  cover  under  which 
to  escape  from  principles  not  to  be  resisted. 

In  the  letters  of  The  First  Citizen  Mr.  Dulany  is 
constantly  covered  with  the  character  of  a  prime  min 
ister  of  the  Governor,  prompting  the  measures  in  con 
troversy,  for  his  personal  interest  and  aggrandize 
ment  at  the  expense  of  the  people. 

The  letters  appeared  one  in  each  issue  of  the  paper 
and  so  important  were  they  regarded  that  a  letter 


THE  "  FIRST  CITIZEN  '  91 

occupied  nearly  the  entire  space  in  the  paper.  They 
appeared  in  the  various  issues  every  two  or  three 
weeks  from  January  7  to  July  1,  1773.  On  the  date 
last  mentioned  Mr.  Carroll  dealt  the  final  blow  and  the 
controversy  was  ended  with  the  great  Attorney  Gen 
eral  completely  defeated  and  the  quiet  young  planter 
as  the  successful  champion  of  the  people  and  the  most 
popular  man  in  the  colony. 

While  this  controversy  was  on,  the  elections  for 
delegates  to  the  Assembly  were  held  and  the  results 
showed  an  overwhelming  sentiment  against  the  proc 
lamation  of  the  Governor  and  the  position  of  Mr. 
Dulany.  The  First  Citizen  was  given  great  credit  for 
his  aid  in  bringing  about  this  result. 

At  these  May  elections  all  over  the  State  the  excite 
ment  was  unprecedented.  The  people  were  already 
wrought  up  over  the  general  questions  that  agi 
tated  all  the  colonies  and  to  these  were  added  the 
special  interest  in  this  election  by  reason  of  the  attempt 
of  their  own  officials  to  add  to  their  burdens.  ' '  Down 
with  the  proclamation/'  "  Bury  the  proclamation,'' 
' '  Overboard  with  the  proclamation  and  all  who  defend 
it  "  were  the  cries  in  every  county  of  the  Province. 

In  Baltimore  which  had  now  become  the  most  popu 
lous  as  well  as  the  wealthiest  of  the  counties,  as  soon 
as  the  election  was  over  and  the  result  announced  they 
did  bury  the  proclamation;  not  only  figuratively  but 
actually.  This  is  the  way  the  Baltimore  correspondent 
of  the  Maryland  Gazette  tells  of  the  incident : 

On  the  last  day  of  our  election,  when  the  polls 
were  closed,  and  Messrs.  Biegely,  Deye,  Hall  and 
Tolley  were  declared  duly  elected,  a  peal  of 
applause,  in  three  loud  stanzas,  burst  from  the 
multitude.  Immediately  from  the  crowd  there 
issued  a  voice,  as  it  were  the  voice  of  one  raised 


92  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

from  the  dead,  which  squeaked  "  no  proclama 
tion  —  hang,  burn,  bury  the  proclamation. ' '  A 
general  murmur  arose,  which  was  very  properly 
construed  as  an  approbation  of  the  proposal.  As 
the  new  chosen  delegates  had  just  received  the 
most  obliging  letters  of  advice  and  information  by 
express  from  the  great  Annapolitan  leaders ;  and 
that  so  arduous  a  business  might  be  conducted,  as 
similar  to  the  grand  original  as  it  is  permitted  to 
humble  imitators  to  approach;  it  was  agreed,  that 
the  ceremony  should  be  conducted,  according  to 
the  directions  in  the  aforesaid  letter  contained. 
Accordingly  a  speech,  arraigning  the  proclama 
tion,  was  pronounced  by  the  orator  of  the  day;  it 
was  resolved  to  be  arbitrary  and  illegal,  and  it  was 
adjudged  to  be  hanged  at  the  usual  place  of  execu 
tion.  About  4  o'clock  p.  M.,  the  procession,  "  with 
solemn  pace  and  step  profound/'  began  to  move 
through  the  streets  towards  the  gallows,  accom 
panied  with  all  the  regalia  of  military  interment 
(the  firing  of  minute  guns  excepted),  that  is  to 
say,  colors  properly  labelled  flying,  drums  beating, 
and  fifes  and  fiddles  playing.  When  the  procession 
had  arrived  at  the  gallows,  one  of  those  unlucky 
accidents,  which  sometimes  disconcert  the  best 
laid  plans,  had  like  to  have  spoiled  all.  In  the 
hurry  of  preparations,  they  had  forgot  to  bring 
the  criminal  along  with  them,  or  he  had  made  his 
escape  in  the  bustle.  A  hue  and  cry  was  raised, 
messengers  were  instantly  dispatched  in  search  of 
him,  and  a  reward  with  the  thanks  of  the  repre 
sentatives  was  offered  for  apprehending  him ;  but 
in  vain.  It  was  then  suspected  that  perhaps  he 
might  be  concealed  in  the  houses  of  some  of  the 
disaffected,  a  general  search  was  therefore  made ; 
but  all  to  no  purpose.  In  this  perplexing  situation, 
it  was  observed  by  the  sagacious,  that  perhaps  the 
offender  might  have  audaciously  crept  into  the 
proceedings  of  the  lower  house.  Upon  examina 
tion  this  was  found  to  be  really  the  case,  and  the 
traitor  was  discovered  where  he  had  hid  himself 
as  the  place  of  greatest  safety,  near  the  famous 
resolves  themselves.  He  was  instantly  torn  with 


THE  «  FIEST  CITIZEN  '  93 

indignation  from  his  hiding  place,  and  dragged 
away  to  immediate  execution.  To  do  him  justice, 
he  submitted  to  his  fate,  with  the  utmost  fairness 
of  mind,  and  with  a  countenance  which  seemed  to 
laugh  to  scorn  the  malice  of  his  enemies,  and  the 
utmost  efforts  of  his  tormentors.  After  he  had 
hung  the  usual  time  he  was  cut  down,  and,  in 
humble  imitation  of  the  patriotic  men  of  Fred 
erick,  he  was  laid  with  his  face  turned  downwards, 
in  token  of  his  immediate  descent  into  hell,  from 
whence  he  originated,  and  as  a  means  of  his  never 
rising  again  into  judgment,  he  was  then  put  into 
a  coffin  for  that  purpose  provided,  and  "  laid  low 
in  his  narrow  house,"  amidst  the  approving  yells 
of  the  spectators  of  all  kinds,  and  of  every  com 
plexion  and  occupation.  But  a  phenomenon  omi 
nous  indeed,  and  truly  distressing  to  every  genuine 
patriot  who  attended  the  execution,  now  presented 
itself  to  their  astonished  view.  As  the  malefactor 
descended  to  the  place  "  where  the  weary  are  at 
rest,"  something  was  observed  to  adhere  close  to 
his  back,  still  showing  signs  of  life,  and  seeming 
to  pursue  and  persecute  him  in  his  grave.  It 
could  not  at  first  be  conceived  what  being  was 
capable  of  carrying  its  virulence  such  lengths,  till 
a  deep  groan  ascended  from  the  pit,  and  a  voice 
was  heard  to  say,  with  lamentations  — ' '  Do  not, 
we  beseech  you,  bury  us  alive;  we  are  your 
friends  —  the  resolves  of  the  Lower  House. ' '  It 
was  then  discovered,  but  alas  too  late,  that  the 
resolves  had  stood  on  the  other  side  of  the  page 
from  whence  the  proclamation  was  torn,  and  by 
the  most  unfortunate  circumstance,  were  now 
irrecoverably  involved  in  the  same  undistin 
guished  ruin.  Their  cries  grew  fainter  and  fainter, 
till  they  were  heard  no  more;  and  they  now 
sleep  (peace  be  to  their  ashes)  undisturbed  and 
undisturbing. 

When  this  transaction,  so  illustrious  in  the  eyes 
of  Maryland,  was  finished,  the  same  motley  group 
which  attended  the  execution,  requested  the  new 
chosen  delegates  "  to  testify  their  thanks  to  The 


94    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

First  Citizen,  for  his  spirited,  eloquent  and 
patriotic  opposition  to  the  proclamation  while 
alive. 

Elections  in  those  times  took  three  days  and 
there  was  but  one  polling  place  in  each  county. 
The  result  of  the  elections  carried  such  an  endorse 
ment  for  "  The  First  Citizen  "  whose  identity  had 
now  becomes  known  all  over  the  colony  that  his 
praises  were  everywhere  heard  and  thanks  poured 
in  on  him  in  letters,  in  newspaper  communications 
and  in  person.  Anne  Arundel  County  presented 
him  with  this  address : 

"Ann  Arundel  County,  May  26th,  1773. 
"  To  the  First  Citizen. 

' '  Sir  —  The  freemen  of  Anne  Arundel  County, 
on  the  day  of  our  election,  gave  us  in  charge  to 
return  you  their  thanks,  for  your  nervy  and  mas 
tery  defense  of  the  constitution,  against  the  late 
illegal,  arbitrary  and  oppressive  proclamation ;  an 
exertion  of  prerogative  which  in  a  land  of  freedom 
will  not,  must  not,  be  endured.  Be  assured,  sir,  it 
gives  us  the  sincerest  joy  to  see  your  merit  so  gen 
erally  understood  and  so  frankly  acknowledged, 
by  men  who  must  be  confessed  to  have  nothing  in 
view  but  the  general  good ;  and  we  gladly  execute 
the  commands  of  our  constituents,  in  this  publicly 
returning  you  their  thanks,  for  your  spirited  and 
distinguished  opposition  to  the  proclamation. 

"  We  are,  Sir,  with  great  respect,  your  most 
obedient  servants, 

"  BRICE  T.  B.  WORTHINGTON, 

"  THOMAS  JOHNSON,  JR., 

"  SAMUEL  CHASE, 

"JOHN  HALL.'1 

The  two  delegates  elected,  William  Paca  and  Mat 
thew  Hammond,  also  presented  him  an  address  of  con 
gratulation  and  thanks. 

Frederick  County  in  which  his  Manor  of  Carrollton 
was  located  and  Baltimore  County  also  sent  commit 
tees  of  citizens  to  read  addresses  of  thanks  to  him. 


THE  "  FIRST  CITIZEN  '  95 

After  the  election,  the  endorsement  and  praise  of 
The  First  Citizen  were  so  general  that  Attorney  Gen 
eral  Dulany  relapsed  into  coarse  and  vindictive  taunts, 
trying  to  prejudice  the  people  against  him  on  account 
of  his  religion.  But  it  was  too  late  for  this ;  Mr.  Car 
roll  was  The  First  Citizen  in  truth  and  in  fact  as  well 
as  in  the  columns  of  the  newspaper.  This  extract  is 
from  the  last  letter,  the  one  that  proved  to  be  the 
knock-out  blow  to  the  Attorney  General. 

I  am  as  averse  to  having  a  religion  charnmed 
down  people's  throats,  as  a  proclamation.  These 
are  my  political  principles,  in  which  I  glory ;  prin 
ciples  not  hastily  taken  up  to  serve  a  turn,  but 
which  I  have  always  avowed  since  I  became 
capable  of  reflection.  I  bear  not  the  least  dislike 
to  the  Church  of  England,  though  I  am  not  within 
her  pale,  nor  indeed  to  any  other  church;  knaves 
and  bigots,  of  all  sects  and  denominations,  I  hate 
and  I  despise. 

"  For  modes  of  faith  let  zealous  bigots  fight, 
His   can't   be   wrong,   whose   life   is   in   the 
right." — Pope. 

Papists  are  distrusted  by  the  laws,  and  laid 
under  disabilities.  They  cannot,  I  know,  (ignorant 
as  I  am),  enjoy  any  place  of  profit  or  trust  while 
they  continue  Papists ;  but  do  these  disabilities 
extend  so  far  as  to  preclude  them  from  thinking 
and  writing  on  matters  merely  of  a  political 
nature?  Antillon  would  make  a  most  excellent 
inquisitor,  he  has  given  some  striking  specimens 
of  an  arbitrary  temper ;  the  first  requisite  —  He 
will  not  allow  me  freedom  of  thought  or  speech. 
.  .  .  To  what  purpose  was  this  threat  thrown 
out,  of  enforcing  the  penal  statutes  by  proclama 
tion!  Why  am  I  told  that  my  conduct  is  very 
inconsistent  with  the  situation  of  one,  who  '  i  owes 
even  the  toleration  he  enjoys  to  the  favor  of  the 
government?  "  If,  by  instilling  prejudices  into 
the  governor,  and  against  certain  religionists,  and 


96    CHAELES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

thus  bring  on  a  persecution,  it  will  then  be  known 
whether  the  toleration  I  enjoy  be  due  to  the  favor 
of  government  or  not.  That  you  have  talents 
admirably  well  adapted  to  stoop  to  the  basest,  is 
too  true.  A  particular  detail  of  all  your  mean  and 
dirty  tricks  would  swell  this  paper  (already  too 
long)  to  the  size  of  a  volume.  I  may  on  some 
future  occasion  entertain  the  public  with  Antillon's 
cheats. 

From  this  time  on,  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  was 
a  leading  spirit  in  the  Province  of  Maryland.  He 
attended  meetings,  made  addresses,  wrote  letters, 
advanced  money  wherever  he  could  to  promote  the 
cause  of  the  Colonies  and  the  Province  of  Maryland  in 
particular. 


Interior  of  tlie  Chapel  at  Doughoreyan  Manor 


CHAPTER  IX 

RUMBLINGS  OF  COLONIAL  DISCONTENT  —  THE  CASE 
OF  THE  PEGGY  STEWART 

At  this  time  the  Province  of  Maryland  was  in  a 
position  entirely  different  from  that  of  any  of  the 
other  colonies.  Frederick,  Lord  Baltimore,  had  died 
without  legitimate  issue.  Henry  Harford,  an  illegiti 
mate  son,  had  set  up  a  claim  to  the  proprietorship 
under  a  will.  This  claim  was  contested  by  Mrs.  Brown 
ing,  the  sister  of  Charles,  the  father  of  Frederick. 
This  contested  case  was  in  the  Chancery  Court  of  Lon 
don  and  its  outcome  would  not  be  important  if  the 
colonies  became  independent  of  Great  Britain.  Gov 
ernor  Eden  who  caused  all  the  trouble  by  settling  the 
fee  bill  by  a  proclamation  was  a  brother-in-law  of  the 
deceased  Lord  Baltimore  and  an  executor  under  Fred 
erick  ?s  will.  This  general  mix  up  in  Maryland  compli 
cated  things  far  beyond  the  ordinary  condition  in  other 
colonies.  Under  the  charter  of  Maryland  the  Crown 
had  relinquished  the  right  to  tax  the  Province  and  this 
raised,  in  this  colony,  some  entirely  new  and  different 
problems. 

Mr.  Carroll  understood  these  questions  in  all  their 
ramifications  and  understood  them  as  few  men  in  the 
colonies  did  understand  them.  He  had  resided  in  Lon 
don  so  long  that  he  knew  the  temper  of  the  authorities, 
and  knew  well  all  the  desperate  straits  to  which  they 
would  go.  He  saw  that  the  resistance  of  the  people  in 
the  end  must  be  by  force.  Associations  had  been 
formed  in  most  of  the  colonies  to  oppose  the  import  of 
goods  from  the  mother  country.  All  fine  clothes  were 
dispensed  with  and  men  like  Mr.  Carroll  and  his  father 
appeared  dressed  in  homespun.  Tea  upon  which  the 

[97] 

4: 


98    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

duty  had  been  retained  was  to  be  refused  and  was 
denied  the  right  of  being  landed  at  any  port  in  the 
Province.  In  fact  so  determined  were  the  colonists  not 
to  buy  from  the  mother  country  that  trade  almost 
ceased. 

The  excitement  of  the  Stamp  Act  had  passed  all  the 
more  quietly  in  Maryland  by  reason  of  the  over 
shadowing  issues  of  her  own  local  affairs ;  but  in  1773 
the  duty  on  tea  caused  a  new  irritation  and  came  at  a 
time  when  the  people  were  in  a  temper  to  resist.  Indig 
nation  meetings  were  held,  communications  were  sent 
to,  and  came  from  the  other  colonies  and  men  like 
Mr.  Carroll  plainly  saw  what  the  end  was  sure  to  be. 

Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  had  been  educated  on 
lines  to  fit  him  especially  for  the  consideration  of  the 
questions  now  before  the  people.  His  father  had  inocu 
lated  him  with  a  love  of  liberty  in  the  sense  described 
by  the  most  advanced  thinkers  of  that  day.  Among 
the  books  which  Perkins  of  London  was  directed  to 
send  him  at  La  Grande,  were  the  works  of  Hooker, 
Locke,  Burlaymaque  and  Becaria ;  the  two  latter  Ital 
ian  writers.  Hooker  who  lived  during  that  period  of 
physical  and  mental  activity  from  1553  to  1600  was  the 
father  of  the  idea  that  the  power  of  government  rests 
alone  on  the  consent  of  the  governed.  The  others  all 
followed  up  and  elaborated  this  idea  and  Locke  clothed 
it  with  that  brilliancy  and  attractiveness  that  set 
Europe  ablaze  with  thoughts  of  liberty  and  political 
equality. 

The  colonists  had  been  so  successful  in  subduing  the 
forces  of  the  new  world,  and  the  yoke  of  Great  Britain 
sat  so  lightly  on  them,  that  they  were  ready  and  eager 
for  the  exploitation  of  a  philosophy  that  guaranteed  to 
them  entire  freedom.  They  had  been  growing  stronger, 
growing  more  independent  and  becoming  more  united 
in  action  and  purpose  during  the  years  that  Great 


EUMBLINGS  OF  COLONIAL  DISCONTENT       99 

Britain  had  been  kept  too  busy  with  France  to  pay 
much  attention  to  them. 

Mr.  Carroll  was  able  to  talk  to  the  people  not  only 
of  their  special  grievances  but  he  was  able  to  instruct 
them  also  in  the  deeper  and  more  subtle  science  of 
government  on  which  they  were  to  build  a  new  struc 
ture  of  liberty,  equality  and  justice.  He  showed  that 
as  they  had  no  part  in  selecting  the  English  Parlia 
ment,  the  English  Parliament  should  have  no  part  in 
governing  and  taxing  them.  This  was  a  proposition  so 
simple  that  the  most  illiterate  could  understand  it,  and 
cheer  for  it;  and  Mr.  Carroll  with  his  great  learning 
had  the  power  to  a  remarkable  degree  of  using  simple 
language  and  making  himself  clear  to  the  plain  people. 

Meetings  of  indignation  and  meetings  for  defense 
and  protection  were  now  of  frequent  occurrence.  The 
Non-Importation  Association  was  permanently  organ 
ized  and  received  the  support  of  nearly  all  citizens; 
and  this  association  was  broadened  in  its  scope  and 
became  the  nucleus  of  the  general  organization  in 
behalf  of  the  patriot  cause.  Charles  Carroll  of  Car- 
rollton  was  now  a  constant  worker,  and  in  all  things 
had  the  hearty  endorsement  and  cooperation  of  his 
father.  His  advice  was  sought,  given  and  followed  on 
many  occasions.  He  became  the  warm  friend,  and 
trusted  confident  of  Samuel  Chase,  William  Paca,  John 
Hall  and  other  leaders. 

In  November,  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  was 
named  as  one  of  a  committee  of  forty-four  to  see  that 
the  resolution  of  Congress  against  imports  was  car 
ried  out.  He  was  also  named  as  one  of  a  committee  of 
four  on  correspondence  for  the  city  and  county,  his 
associates  in  this  work  being  Samuel  Chase,  Wm. 
Paca  and  Thos.  Johnson  who  with  the  representa 
tives  of  the  other  counties  were  to  take  charge  of  the 
affairs  of  the  Province.  It  was  resolved  that  the 


100     CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

members  of  the  previous  assembly  together  with 
Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  should  attend  the  next 
provincial  meeting  and  have  full  power  to  represent  the 
city  and  county.  Mr.  Carroll  attended  this  convention 
thus  starting  on  that  brilliant  career  that  has  had  few  if 
any  equals,  in  our  politics. 

In  the  tangled  state  of  affairs  of  the  Province,  grow 
ing  out  of  the  complex  question  of  whether  or  not  there 
was  a  Lord  Proprietor  and  if  so  who  he  was,  this  con 
vention  became  the  authoritative  body  of  the  colony. 

Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton,  Chas.  Carroll,  bar 
rister,  Thomas  Johnson  and  Samuel  Chase,  repre 
sented  Anne  Arundel  County  in  the  Council  of  Safety 
composed  of  ten  leading  citizens  of  the  Province  which 
met  in  1775  in  Chestertown  on  the  eastern  shore.  This 
Council  of  Safety  was  the  most  important  body  that 
had  been  constituted  in  the  Province  and  all  looked  to 
it  for  protection  and  guidance.  The  spirit  of  revolt 
was  strengthened  by  every  communication  from  the 
other  colonies.  The  news  of  the  Boston  resistance  to 
the  landing  of  the  taxed  tea  had  met  a  cordial  indorse 
ment  here  but  in  spite  of  this  and  of  the  fact  that 
Maryland  had  driven  from  her  shores  three  cargoes  of 
taxed  tea  as  early  as  1769  the  brig  Peggy  Stewart 
arrived  Oct.  15,  1774,  with  2,320  pounds  of  tea.  Mr. 
Anthony  Stewart,  a  resident  of  Annapolis,  a  highly 
respected  and  wealthy  citizen,  and  a  member  of  the 
Non-Importers  Association  owned  the  brig.  Mr.  Stew 
art  had  paid  the  duty  on  this  small  amount  of  the 
"  detested  weed  "  to  prevent  detention  of  the  vessel. 
The  people  were  disgusted  and  felt  insulted  at  this 
act  of  submission  to  the  will  of  the  English  Parliament. 
A  public  meeting  was  called,  resolutions  passed  denun 
ciatory  of  Mr.  Stewart  and  Williams  the  consignee. 
Both  Mr.  Stewart  and  the  two  Williams  brothers 
apologized  and  agreed  to  burn  the  tea. 


RUMBLINGS  OF  COLONIAL  DISCONTENT      101 

But  the  indignation  was  so  great  that  upon  the  mat 
ter  being  referred  to  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  he 
decided  that  vessel  and  tea  be  burned,  and  with  his 
own  hand  Mr.  Stewart  set  fire  to  the  brig  and  she 
burned  to  the  water's  edge  in  presence  of  the  infuriated 
crowd. 

Another  serious  grievance  of  the  colonies  was  the 
navigation  laws.  Great  Britain  had  so  managed  things 
that  the  colonies  had  to  do  their  trading  with  the 
mother  country.  Why  should  her  colonies  enrich  the 
merchants  of  Spain,  Holland  or  Portugal!  She  had 
goods  to  sell  and  money  to  spend,  so  trade  with 
England.  All  the  laws  were  framed  with  this  idea  in 
mind.  The  laws  provided  that  no  sugar,  tobacco,  cot 
ton,  indigo,  ginger  or  dye  woods  should  be  carried  to 
any  ports  but  those  of  England.  These  became  known 
as  the  ' '  enumerated  articles. ' '  They  must  be  sold  only 
to  English  merchants  who  in  turn  would  sell  to  the 
merchants  of  other  countries.  In  this  way  England 
was  building  up  her  trade  with  the  whole  world  and 
the  colonists  felt  that  she  was  doing  much  of  it  at  their 
expense.  Articles  from  Holland,  Spain,  France  or 
other  countries  than  England  must  not  be  brought  into 
the  colonies.  Such  as  were  brought  had  to  be  smuggled 
in.  Smuggling  was  a  very  respectable  and  highly 
profitable  line  of  work  as  long  as  it  was  possible  to 
escape  the  authorities.  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton 
had  studied  the  odious  Navigation  Laws  and  was 
familiar  with  every  phase  of  their  oppressive  pro 
visions.  He  could  explain  all  their  intricacies  and 
injustices,  and  could  do  it  in  a  way  that  every  mer 
chant  and  everv  laborer  would  understand. 


CHAPTER  X 

MEETING  AND  WORK  OF  THE  FIRST  CONTINENTAL 

CONGRESS 

In  the  Spring  of  1774  the  correspondence  among  the 
various  committees  of  the  colonies  resulted  in  an 
arrangement  for  holding  a  Continental  Congress. 
Each  colony  was  to  send  representatives;  just  how 
many  were  to  be  sent  and  how  they  were  to  be  selected 
was  left  to  the  colony  itself.  Connecticut  being  a 
wholly  patriot  colony  took  the  lead  and  on  the  13th 
of  June  authorized  its  Committee  of  Correspondence 
to  select  suitable  persons. 

Others  followed  quickly  and  by  the  middle  of  August 
all  the  colonies  except  Georgia,  Florida  and  Canada 
had  selected  delegates. 

The  Connecticut  delegates  being  the  first  named, 
suggested  to  the  others  that  Philadelphia  be  the  place 
of  meeting  and  the  word  was  passed  around  in  the 
correspondence  that  the  Congress  meet  in  Philadelphia 
on  the  5th  of  September. 

Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  was  on  the  committee 
that  selected  the  delegates  from  Maryland,  but  did 
not  permit  himself  to  be  made  a  delegate,  promising  to 
go  there  any  way  and  assist  by  his  advice  and  presence. 
He  was  already  occupying  so  many  places  of  public 
trust  that  he  doubtless  felt  that  he  could  not  satis 
factorily  fill  these,  and  at  the  same  time  serve  as  a 
member  of  Congress. 

Philadelphia  was  the  metropolis  of  the  continent; 
a  populous  and  beautiful  city  scattered  along  the  Dela 
ware  Eiver  for  the  distance  of  a  mile ;  its  white  houses 
with  green  shutters  presenting  a  pretty  and  impressive 
sight. 

[103] 


104    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

A  day  or  two  before  the  date  for  the  meeting,  dele 
gates  began  to  arrive.  The  Pennsylvania  members 
had  arranged  that  the  Congress  was  to  meet  in 
Carpenter's  Hall  and  that  the  members  were  to  have 
the  use  of  the  library  which  occupied  a  room  in  that 
building. 

The  Maryland  delegates  reached  the  city  the  night 
before  the  meeting  and  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton 
rode  over  later  in  the  week.  There  was  pretty  thor 
ough  unanimity  of  opinion,  as  the  Congress  was 
made  up  entirely  of  those  who  resented  the  action  of 
the  British  Parliament  and  favored  resisting  it.  In 
each  colony  the  political  division  wras  into  two  parties, 
Loyalists  and  Patriots.  The  former  stood  for  English 
rule  and  for  submission  to  the  acts  of  Parliament. 
This  party  had  no  representation  in  the  Congress 
which  was  really  a  kind  of  party  convention. 

Mr.  Carroll  on  the  day  of  his  arrival  in  Philadelphia 
was  introduced  to  John  Adams  who  entered  in  his 
diary  the  fact  of  being  introduced  to  i  '  one  Mr.  Carroll 
of  Maryland,  a  Roman  Catholic  but  an  ardent  patriot 
and  a  man  of  one  of  the  very  first  fortunes  in  the 
colonies. ' ' 

There  was  much  conferring,  discussing  and  compar 
ing  views;  the  great  question  being,  "  can  we  go  as 
far  as  the  Massachusetts  delegates  desire?  "  In  that 
colony  Gen.  Gage,  the  British  Commander,  had  dis 
solved  the  Assembly  and  forbidden  town  meetings.  The 
people  of  Suffolk  County  in  which  Boston  is  located 
had  called  a  county  meeting  which  had  taken  most 
drastic  action  under  the  guidance  of  Samuel  Adams. 
This  county  meeting  had  passed  the  famous  Suffolk 
resolutions  that  actually  instituted  a  new  and  inde 
pendent  government  for  the  colony.  The  resolutions 
called  upon  the  people  not  to  recognize  the  courts  or 
the  officers  and  to  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  colonial 


FIRST  CONTINENTAL  CONGRESS       105 

government  that  acknowledged  the  authority  of  Parlia 
ment.  Tax  collectors  were  advised  to  pay  no  money 
to  the  government  under  Gen.  Gage  and  people  were 
urged  not  to  go  to  law  to  settle  their  disputes.  The 
patriots  were  advised  to  form  military  companies,  to 
drill  and  prepare  for  defense ;  but  to  commit  no  overt 
act.  Samuel  Adams  and  John  Adams  were  at  the 
Congress  as  part  of  the  Massachusetts  delegation,  to 
urge  an  indorsement  of  the  Suffolk  movement. 

Charles  Carroll  of  Carollton  evidently  was  with 
John  and  Samuel  Adams  in  support  of  the  Massachu 
setts  idea.  There  is  no  record  of  this,  but  it  is  indi 
cated  by  his  affiliations  in  Philadelphia,  and  by  the 
position  of  the  Maryland  delegates  who  were  doubtless 
influenced  by  him.  He  was  constantly  pointed  to  as  a 
man  of  great  wealth  who  was  not  afraid  of  the  risk  of 
defying  England. 

The  Congress  held  its  session  in  private  and  no 
record  was  made  of  the  details  of  its  doings.  Now 
and  then  something  of  the  proceedings  would  leak  out, 
but  generally  the  stand  taken  by  any  individual  mem 
ber  was  not  known. 

It  did  transpire,  however,  that  the  Massachusetts 
idea  had  been  practically  indorsed  and  that  a  resolu 
tion  to  that  effect  had  been  sent  to  Boston  by  Paul 
Revere,  the  silversmith,  who  was  waiting  to  ride  with 
the  news  to  his  people. 

Mr.  J.  H.  B.  Latrobe,  who  had  it  directly  from  Mr. 
Carroll,  explained  an  important  and  hasty  visit  which 
Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  paid  to  Philadelphia 
during  the  sitting  of  the  first  Continental  Congress. 
This  visit  was  made  at  the  urgent  invitation  of  Judge 
Chase  of  the  Maryland  delegation. 

After  the  Massachusetts  idea  had  been  practically 
indorsed  and  the  radicals  had  been  assured  full  sway, 


106    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

Mr.  Galloway,  a  very  influential  member  introduced 
an  entirely  new  plan.  This  was  the  establishment 
of  a  Parliament  of  the  united  colonies  to  meet  annu 
ally  in  Philadelphia  and  to  pass  on  all  acts  of  the 
English  Parliament  that  affected  the  colonies  in  any 
way.  The  men  of  Mr.  Carroll's  way  of  thinking 
considered  any  such  step  as  mere  temporizing,  and 
as  giving  the  English  Parliament  something  to  talk 
about  while  the  ardor  of  the  colonies  cooled  down. 
The  men  who  opposed  it  did  not  believe  it  would  be 
accepted  by  the  English  Parliament,  but  believed  it 
would  be  used  to  divert  the  attention  of  the  people 
from  the  real  purpose  in  view,  which  was  to  settle  for 
all  time  whether  or  not  the  colonies  were  to  be  per 
mitted  to  manage  their  own  affairs  in  their  own  way, 
or  were  to  be  kept  under  the  rule  of  an  arbitrary 
English  Parliament  with  the  election  of  whose  mem 
bers  they  had  no  part. 

Mr.  Carroll  was  right  with  Samuel  Adams,  John 
Adams  and  the  men  of  that  stamp  in  vigorously  oppos 
ing  this  measure  which  they  regarded  as  looking  to 
nothing  and  promising  nothing.  When  a  vote  on  it 
was  reached,  it  was  badly  beaten  and  all  record  of  it 
expunged  from  the  proceedings.  This  action  caused 
a  wild  protest  from  the  Loyalists  who  professed  to 
see  in  it  a  determination  of  the  Congress  not  to  meet 
the  questions  fairly,  but  to  set  up  a  new  government 
whether  the  people  wanted  it  or  not.  They  secured 
a  copy  of  Mr.  Galloway's  plan,  had  it  printed  and 
copies  distributed  saying  it  proved  that  the  Congress 
had  dropped  the  veil  of  hypocrisy  and  shown  itself 
in  the  true  light  of  a  body  of  men  working  for  absolute 
separation  from  England.  Mr.  Carroll  wrote  a  reply 
to  this  pamphlet  which  was  circulated  by  the  patriots. 
He  was  not  yet  a  member  of  the  Congress  but  was  one 


FIRST  CONTINENTAL  CONGRESS       107 

of  the  most  influential  of  the  men  who  had  to  do  with 
its  affairs. 

Having  disposed  of  the  Galloway  plan  and  fully 
determined  on  the  manner  of  procedure  nothing  was 
now  left  but  to  put  the  determination  of  the  Congress 
in  shape.  This  was  done  in  a  series  of  papers  to  be 
submitted  to  the  British  Government. 

First  was  the  Declaration  of  Rights  which  was  an 
ultimatum  for  Parliament  to  accept  and  have  the 
friendship  of  the  colonies  or  reject  and  take  the  con 
sequences.  It  was  so  broad  in  its  demands  that  it 
appeared  to  practically  abolish  the  colonial  system  of 
England.  But  it  was  what  the  colonists  had  resolved 
to  demand  and  stand  by.  It  is  pretty  sure  that  Charles 
Carroll  of  Carrollton  urged  his  people  to  submit  to 
no  modification. 

Four  documents  in  all  were  agreed  to  and  prepared 
so  as  to  be  sent  to  Parliament.  The  last  was  a  petition 
to  the  King.  This  pointed  out  that  while  Parliament 
was  repudiated,  loyalty  to  the  King  was  affirmed. 
Another  was  an  address  to  the  people  of  Canada. 
These  papers  were  prepared  in  five  copies  each;  and 
each  set  of  five  forwarded  to  London  by  a  different 
conveyance.  This  was  to  avoid  the  possibility  of  acci 
dent.  Then  with  the  ultimatum  and  other  documents 
off  for  England  the  Congress  adjourned  to  May,  1776. 

In  those  days,  as  at  the  present  time,  great  events 
had  to  be  wound  up  and  emphasized  by  a  banquet. 
So  the  citizens  of  Philadelphia  prepared  a  great  ban 
quet  to  the  members  of  the  first  Continental  Congress — 
the  greatest  banquet  that  had  been  given  on  the  con 
tinent  up  to  that  time.  Five  hundred  plates  were  laid 
and  the  tables  were  laden  with  all  the  good  things  to 
eat  and  to  drink  that  this  land  and  that  age  could 
boast.  Thirty-two  formal  toasts  were  drunk  and 


108    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

responded  to,  and  after  each  toast  there  was  firing  of 
cannon  on  the  green.  And  this  banquet  with  its  cheers, 
its  splendor,  its  speeches  and  the  firing  of  cannon  was 
the  wind  up  of  this  memorable  session.  Through  the 
speeches  ran  a  vein  of  hopefulness  and  of  loyalty  to 
the  King,  mingled  with  denunciation  of  the  Parlia 
ment.  The  last  toast  was  the  hope  that  a  happy 
reconciliation  would  be  reached  between  Great  Britain 
and  the  colonies. 

The  banquet  which  ended  the  Congress  was  a  great 
affair  and  it  is  recorded  that  it  took  the  delegates  two 
or  three  days  to  ' i  rest  up, ' '  before  starting  for  home. 
Neither  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton,  Benjamin 
Franklin  nor  Thomas  Jefferson  were  members  of  the 
first  Continental  Congress. 

The  delegates  went  to  their  homes  to  await  the  re 
sult  of  their  work.  The  more  sanguine  believed  that 
England  would  grant  all  the  demands  and  that  the 
meeting  next  May  would  be  a  kind  of  jubilee  and  a 
ratification  of  their  previous  acts.  These  expected 
that  the  united  colonies  would  then  formulate  regula 
tions  for  their  mutual  benefit,  and  that  they  would  at 
once  come  into  that  measure  of  liberty  and  independ- 
ance  for  which  they  had  been  so  earnestly  at  work. 
There  was  nothing  left  but  to  wait  for  the  reception 
of  the  papers,  and  in  those  days  it  was  a  long  wait; 
for  not  much  news  got  back  to  the  colonies  till  the 
next  Spring. 

Though  the  copies  of  the  papers  for  England  were 
sent  by  five  different  ships  all  of  the  five  encountered 
the  same  series  of  gales  and  all  were  driven  back, 
causing  considerable  delay.  It  was  well  in  November 
before  they  got  started  and  late  in  December  before 
the  first  one  reached  England.  Parliament  had  ad 
journed  for  the  Christmas  recess ;  but  the  news  of  the 
ultimatum  and  accompanying  papers  caused  much 


FIRST  CONTINENTAL  CONGRESS       109 

discussion,  a  great  deal  of  denunciation  and  ridicule, 
together  with  a  little  commendation. 

Some  letters  told  of  how  the  Whigs  in  England  read 
and  commended  the  spirit  and  force  of  the  papers, 
how  some  Tories  ridiculed  and  denounced  them,  how 
some  Englishmen  called  the  members  of  Congress 
traitors  and  how  others  thought  them  merely  fools; 
but  nothing  of  an  authentic  or  official  nature  was 
received. 

From  the  inception  of  the  struggle  against  the 
mother  country  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  felt  sure 
that  the  effect  would  be  w^ar  first  and  independence 
as  a  result  of  the  war.  With  that  idea  firmly  in  his 
mind,  he  had  his  committees  go  right  on  with  their 
work  of  preparation. 

Just  before  the  proceedings  of  the  first  American 
Congress  reached  Great  Britain  the  King  suddenly 
dissolved  Parliament,  and  issued  writs  for  a  general 
election.  It  was  a  move  of  peculiarly  shrewd 
"  politics, "  for  the  Ministry  had  every  reason  to 
believe  that  the  proceedings  of  Congress  would  be 
conciliatory,  tending  to  allay  the  heat  of  the  English 
public  against  the  colonies;  and  by  thus  prematurely 
forcing  a  new  election  while  the  public  was  still  excited 
against  America;  it  was  hoped  that  the  Government 
majority  would  be  increased  —  a  theory  which  proved 
eminently  successful  in  practice.  When  the  proceed 
ings  of  the  Congress  was  transmitted  to  Parliament, 
they  came  before  men  prepared  to  give  them  no  heed, 
and  were  referred,  with  a  great  mass  of  other  papers, 
to  a  committee  which  Edmund  Burke  happily  styled 
"  the  Committee  of  Oblivion. "  Franklin,  who  was 
then  in  London,  drew  up  what  he  termed  an  "  anec 
dote  "  of  the  King's  speech  for  the  meeting  of  this 
Parliament.  It  afforded  great  amusement  to  the 
friends  of  America,  but  didn't  get  into  print.  This 


110  CHAELES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

is  what  the  ever-humorous  Franklin  thought  the  King 
should  say  in  his  address  to  parliament : 

My  Lords  and  Gentlemen,  It  gives  me  much 
concern  that  I  am  obliged  at  the  opening  of  this 
Parliament  to  inform  you  that  none  of  the 
measures  adopted  by  the  last  Parliament  in 
respect  to  the  disturbances  of  my  American 
colonies  have  produced  those  salutary  effects, 
which  relying  upon  the  supposed  wisdom  of  their 
deliberations  I  had  been  induced  to  expect.  I 
therefore  sent  that  Parliament,  a  packing  rather 
abruptly,  and  have  called  you  in  their  place  to 
pick  a  little  advice  out  of  your  wise  heads  upon 
some  matters  of  the  greatest  weight  and  import 
ance  relating  to  a  sort  of  Crusade  that  I  have 
upon  my  hands.  I  must  needs  tell  you  that  the 
business  if  you  chuse  to  undertake  it  for  me,  will 
be  a  seven  or  ten  years  job  at  least.  You  must 
know  then  that  my  ministers  have  put  me  upon 
a  project  to  undertake  the  reduction  of  the  whole 
continent  of  North  America  to  unconditional  sub 
mission.  They  have  persuanded  me  to  coax  you 
into  this  project  by  representing  it  to  you  as  a 
matter  to  be  done  in  a  twinkling,  and  to  make 
you  believe  that  my  subjects  in  America  whom 
you  have  always  hitherto  considered  as  brave 
men,  are  no  better  than  a  wretched  pack  of 
cowardly  run-a-ways,  and  that  500  men  with 
whips  will  make  them  all  dance  to  the  tune  of 
Yankee  Doodle ;  but  I  will  tell  you  no  such  thing 
because  I  am  very  sure  if  you  meddle  with  it  that 
you  will  find  it  a  very  different  sort  of  business. 

Now,  Gentlemen  of  the  House  of  Commons,  I 
give  you  this  fair  notice  for  yourselves  and  your 
Constituents.  If  you  undertake  this  job  it  will 
cost  you  at  the  least  farthing  a  good  round  sum 
of  forty  or  fifty  millions ;  forty  or  fifty  thousands 
of  your  Constituents  will  get  knocked  on  the  head 
and  then  you  are  to  consider  what  the  rest  of 
you  will  be  gainers  by  the  bargain  even  if  you 
succeed.  The  trade  of  a  ruined  and  desolated 


FIRST  CONTINENTAL  CONGRESS       111 

country  is  always  inconsiderable,  its  revenue 
trifling;  the  expense  of  subjecting  and  retaining 
it  in  subjection,  should  that  connexion  which  we 
wish  most  ardently  to  maintain  be  dissolved, 
should  my  Ministers  exhaust  your  treasures  and 
waste  the  blood  of  your  Country  men  in  vain 
will  they  not  deliver  you  weak  and  defenceless  to 
your  natural  enemies? 

You  must  know  this  is  not  the  first  time  that 
the  Serpent  has  been  whispering  into  my  ear, 
Tax  America.  Cost  what  it  will,  make  them  your 
hewers  of  wood  and  drawers  of  water.  Let  them 
feel  that  your  little  finger  is  thicker  than  the  loins 
of  all  your  ancestors.  But  I  was  wiser  than  all 
that.  I  sent  to  Lord  Rockingham  and  the  advice 
that  he  gave  me  was  this,  not  to  burn  my  fingers 
in  the  business.  That  it  was  ten  to  one  against 
our  making  any  hand  of  it  at  all,  that  they  were 
not  worth  shearing  and  at  best  that  we  should 
raise  a  cursed  outcry  and  get  but  little  wool.  I 
shall  remember  his  last  advice  to  me  as  long  as 
I  live.  Speak  good  words  to  them  and  they  will 
be  thy  Servants  forever. 

And  now  my  Lords  and  Gentlemen,  I  have 
stated  the  whole  matter  fairly  and  squarely  before 
you.  It  is  your  own  business  and  if  you  are  not 
content  as  you  are,  look  to  the  rest  for  yourselves. 
But  if  I  were  to  give  you  a  word  of  advice  it 
should  be  to  remind  you  of  the  Italian  Epitaph 
upon  a  poor  fool  that  killed  himself  with  quack 
ing  "  I  was  well,  I  would  be  better,  I  took  Physick 
and  died." 

No  one  could  prove  who  produced  this  humorous 
speech  but  it  was  so  like  the  act  of  Franklin  that  all 
familiar  with  affairs  felt  well  assured. 

Copies  reached  this  country  and  the  reading  of  them 
was  much  enjoyed.  When  a  copy  was  handed  to  Mr. 
Carroll  he  read  it  carefully  and  smilingly  said : 

'  '  What  a  man !  Nothing  is  serious  enough  to 
suppress  the  humor  that  bubbles  up  in  Franklin. ' ' 


CHAPTER  XI 

NEWS  FROM  ENGLAND  —  TRIP  OF  THE  COMMISSION- 
ERS  TO  CANADA 

Arriving  home  from  Philadelphia  in  the  late  Fall 
and  quickly  resuming  his  duties  on  the  Committee  of 
Safety,  the  Committee  of  Correspondence  and  the  other 
committees  connected  with  his  patriotic  duties,  Charles 
Carroll  of  Carrollton  was  frequently  asked  by  his 
neighbors  what  he  thought  would  be  the  reply  to  the 
papers  sent  by  the  Continental  Congress  to  the 
British  ministry.  His  answer  invariably  was : 

"  The  papers  will  have  no  effect  whatever. 
The  King,  Parliament  and  English  people  are 
against  making  any  concession  to  the  colonies." 

"  But  the  speeches  of  Burke,  Barie  and  Lord 
Chatham  1" 

i '  They  indicate  nothing  whatever.  They  repre 
sent  only  the  Whig  minority  that  has  no  influence 
with  the  government  or  with  the  people.  Their 
splendid  efforts  rather  hinder  than  help  our 
cause.  Whatever  we  get  we  must  fight  for.  Our 
people  should  clearly  understand  that." 

From  Philadelphia  he  came  directly  to  Annapolis 
where  he  met  his  father  and  together  they  went  over 
the  situation  carefully  and  weighed  the  cost  and  the 
risks  fully. 

Christmas  arrived  with  no  news  from  London. 
Christmas  in  Maryland  has  always  meant  the  entire 
week  from  Christmas  Eve  to  New  Year.  Charles 
Carroll  of  Carrollton  spent  the  first  part  of  Christmas 
at  Doughoregon  Manor  and  rode  to  Baltimore  where 
he  met  many  public  men  and  fully  discussed  the 
crisis  through  which  the  colonies  were  passing.  He 

[113] 


114    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  OARROLLTON 

tried  on  every  occasion  to  dispel  the  illusion  which 
most  people  held,  that  Parliament  would  seek  to  recon 
cile  the  colonies,  and  would  pass  some  measures  of  a 
conciliatory  nature.  He  neither  hoped  for,  nor  had 
any  expectation  of  such  a  result.  He  was  in  England 
at  the  time  of  the  Stamp  Act  agitation,  and  was  too 
familiar  with  the  temper  of  the  people  to  fail  in  a 
complete  understanding  of  the  conditions  at  this  time. 
That  Charles  Carroll  of  Annapolis  was  in  thorough 
accord  with  his  son  is  shown  by  some  letters  written 
by  him  from  the  Manor  to  Charles  Carroll  of  Carroll- 
ton  in  Annapolis  telling  of  the  arrival  of  gun  powder 
and  the  progress  of  the  saltpetre  works.  There  is 
nothing  in  any  of  these  letters  to  indicate  a  hope  of 
peace.  Everything  referred  to  preparations  for  war. 

In  September  1775  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton 
wrote  to  Gren.  Washington  introducing  Mr.  Key. 
Washington  had  been  on  intimate  terms  with  the 
Carrolls  since  some  time  before  the  return  of  the 
younger  Carroll  from  Europe.  The  intimacy  doubt 
less  began  in  connection  with  the  Clinton  Iron  Works 
in  Virginia  with  which  Mr.  Carroll  had  some  connec 
tion.  It  is  of  record  that  Washington  frequently  rode 
up  to  Annapolis  to  attend  the  races,  go  to  the  play 
and  enjoy  the  all  around  good  times  of  hospitable 
Annapolis.  In  those  days  Annapolis  had  the  reputa 
tion  of  being  the  social  and  hilarious  center  of 
colonial  life.  Baltimore  was  fast  rising  as  a  business 
and  manufacturing  point,  but  Baltimore  was  too  busy 
and  business  like  to  vie  with  Annapolis  as  a  social 
or  political  center. 

News  from  England  as  to  what  the  government  had 
done  was  anxiously  awaited  by  most  people,  and  many 
could  hardly  understand  the  certainty  with  which  the 
Carrolls  looked  on  the  situation.  The  father  fully 


NEWS  FEOM  ENGLAND  115 

shared  the  view  of  the  young  man  that  there  was  no 
hope  of  a  reconciliation  with  the  mother  country. 

The  state  of  uncertainty  in  the  colonies  continued 
till  April.  The  trip  over  was  a  long  one  at  best  and 
the  heavy  storms  of  early  Spring  had  caused  unusual 
delays.  But  early  in  April  a  brig  arrived  bringing 
English  papers.  These  told  that  the  "ultimatum  >: 
the  petition  to  the  King,  and  every  proposition  of  the 
Continental  Congress  had  been  rejected  by  the  Parlia 
ment  and  everywhere  ridiculed  and  denounced  by  the 
people. 

Instead  of  conceding  anything,  Parliament  had  met 
the  demands  by  passing  a  series  of  laws  more 
drastic  and  more  oppressive  than  any  heretofore  even 
suggested. 

The  Boston  port  bill  was  affirmed.  The  colonists 
were  prohibited  from  buying  or  selling  to  one  another. 

The  colonists  were  denied  all  rights  to  the  fishing 
grounds. 

These  and  several  other  measures  equally  severe 
were  passed  by  a  two-thirds  majority.  In  addition  to 
all  this,  appropriations  were  made  for  paying  the 
expense  of  an  army  of  10,000  men  to  be  sent  to  the 
colonies  for  their  subjugation  at  once. 

Maryland's  peculiar  relations  were  so  far  practi 
cally  unchanged.  Governor  Eden  continued  to  pose  as 
Governor,  rather  than  act  in  that  capacity.  The  con 
vention  which  had  possessed  itself  of  all  authority  in 
the  Province  rather  encouraged  him  to  call  himself 
the  Governor,  to  hold  receptions  and  give  dances,  but 
allowed  him  no  authority  whatever.  The  Province 
recognized  neither  the  Crown,  the  Henry  Harf  ord  claim 
nor  the  claim  of  the  legitimate  heirs  of  the  deceased 
Lord  Proprietor.  To  all  intents  and  purposes  Mary 
land  was  an  independent  Province. 

Just  before  Christmas  and  when  many  of  the  people 


116  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

were  still  expecting  a  favorable  outcome  of  the  com 
munications  to  London  the  Committee  of  Safety  con 
sisting  of  ten  members  from  the  Western  Shore  and 
ten  from  Eastern  shore  met  at  Chestertown.  Both 
Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  and  Charles  Carroll, 
barrister  were  present.  The  committee  went  right 
on  preparing  for  the  struggle  as  if  they  knew  that 
Britain  would  make  no  concessions. 

The  most  important  action  was  the  appointment  of 
a  committee  of  five,  with  Charles  Carroll  of  Carroll- 
ton  as  chairman  "  to  devise  ways  and  means  for  the 
manufacture  of  salt  petre." 

The  Committee  of  Safety  reconvened  on  the  1st  of 
January  when  the  Carroll  sub-committee  on  salt  petre 
reported  an  elaborate  plan  for  erecting  salt  petre 
works  in  every  county  with  a  central  refining  plant 
where  the  product  would  be  made  into  gun  powder. 
Two  other  sub-committees  were  named  one  for  pro 
viding  clothes  and  food  for  the  Maryland  troops,  and 
the  other  on  instructions  to  the  members  of  Congress. 
Though  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  was  chairman 
of  this  last  committee  he  was  out  voted  and  a  resolu 
tion  was  carried  instructing  the  delegates  to  disavow 
all  designs  of  the  colonies  for  independence.  After 
some  other  resolutions  for  the  regulation  of  the  gov 
ernment  were  passed  the  convention  adjourned  and 
on  the  same  day  January  18th  the  Council  of  Safety 
convened. 

The  need  of  coin  for  the  Canadian  campaign  was 
shown  to  be  so  urgent  that  a  committee  was  appointed 
in  each  county  to  collect  all  the  gold  and  silver  coin 
that  could  be  secured  and  to  forward  it  for  that  pur 
pose.  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  was  appointed  to 
collect  in  Anne  Arundel  County  and  he  proved  the 
most  successful  of  all  the  collectors.  Probablv  because 


NEWS  FROM  ENGLAND  117 

he  had  his  father  and  himself  as  liberal  contributors. 
His  collection  amounted  to  120£. 

About  this  time  the  British  Man-of-War  Otter 
appeared  in  the  Chesapeake  Bay  greatly  to  the  alarm 
of  the  people  in  the  marine  towns.  Charles  Carroll 
of  Carrollton  wrote  to  Col.  Thos.  Dorsey  of  the  Elk 
Eidge  Militia  March  8th  instructing  him  to  march  all 
the  companies  he  had,  that  were  well  armed  to  the 
defense  of  Baltimore,  as  that  place  seemed  in  danger 
of  immediate  attack.  He  said  this  was  the  sense  of 
the  Committee  on  Observation  and  the  order  would 
be  confirmed  by  the  Committee  of  Safety. 

About  this  time  the  announcement  was  made  that 
Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  had  been  selected  as 
one  of  the  commissioners  to  represent  the  Congress 
in  Canada.  The  other  two  commissioners  were 
Samuel  Chase  and  Benjamin  Franklin.  In  mention 
ing  the  personnel  of  this  commission,  John  Adams  says 
"  the  characters  of  the  two  first  you  know.  The  last 
is  not  a  member  of  Congress,  but  a  gentleman  of  inde 
pendent  fortune,  perhaps  the  largest  in  America  — a 
hundred  and  fifty  or  two  hundred  thousand  pounds 
Sterling;  educated  in  some  university  in  France; 
though  a  native  of  America;  of  great  abilities  and 
learning,  complete  master  of  the  French  language  and 
a  professor  of  the  Eoman  Catholic  Religion ;  yet  -a 
warm,  a  firm,  a  zealous  supporter  of  the  rights  of 
America  in  whose  cause  he  has  hazarded  his  all. ' ' 

His  friend,  Chase,  had  undoubtedly  been  instru 
mental  in  having  Mr.  Carroll  selected  because  of  his 
great  executive  ability  and  because  of  his  knowledge 
of  the  French  language  and  his  influence  with  the 
French  Catholics  of  Canada.  Almost  the  entire  popu 
lation  of  Canada  at  that  time  was  Catholic.  The 
American  expedition  to  Canada  following  the  capture 
of  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point  was  not  in  an 


118    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

encouraging  condition  and  it  was  hoped  that  a  tactful 
effort  by  a  commission  like  this  might  be  helpful  to 
our  cause.  Mr.  Carroll  was  requested  to  invite  his 
Cousin  John  Carroll  a  Catholic  priest  of  great  learn 
ing  and  influence  to  accompany  the  commission.  The 
year  before  parliament  had  passed  what  was  known  as 
the  Quebec  bill.  This  was  a  measure  guaranteeing 
religious  liberty  and  considerable  economic  liberty 
and  advantage  to  the  French  Canadians.  As  newly 
acquired  subjects  it  was  thought  expedient  to  treat 
them  well  and  so  Great  Britain  had  given  them  many 
rights  which  had  been  constantly  denied  to  the  older 
colonies.  This  was  one  of  the  grievances  of  the  Con 
tinental  Congress  and  the  treatment  of  this  subject 
had  been  one  of  the  matters  that  called  Charles  Car 
roll  of  Carrollton  to  Philadelphia.  The  Congress  on 
the  one  hand  having  denounced  Parliament  for  treat 
ing  the  Canadians  so  well;  found  it  a  little  awkward, 
on  the  other  to  make  the  effort  to  convince  them  that 
they  had  been  treated  so  badly  that  they  should  break 
away  from  their  new  allegiance  and  go  with  the 
American  colonies.  This  was  one  of  the  tasks 
entrusted  to  the  commission.  In  addition  to  this  the 
condition  of  the  American  troops  was  reported  as  very 
serious.  General  Montgomery  had  been  killed  and 
Arnold  badly  wounded.  The  troops  were  so  poorly 
fed  that  they  had  become  troublesome  and  expensive 
in  their  raids  on  the  people.  All  in  all,  they  were 
hungry,  badly  clothed  and  discouraged  when  the  small 
pox  broke  out  and  made  terrible  ravages  amongst 
them.  It  was  under  these  conditions  that  the  com 
mission  met  in  Philadelphia  and  started  for  Canada 
by  way  of  New  York,  the  Hudson  River  and  the  Lakes 
George  and  Champlain  to  Montreal.  The  commis 
sioners  accompanied  by  Rev.  John  Carroll,  afterwards 
the  first  Roman  Catholic  Bishop  in  America,  met  in 


NEWS  FEOM  ENGLAND  119 

New  York  and  started  north  on  a  sloop  April  2nd. 
The  distance  from  New  York  to  Montreal  is  about 
three  hundred  miles  on  a  straight  line  by  river  from 
New  York  to  Albany,  thence  by  wagon  and  through 
Lake  George  and  Lake  Champlain  to  the  Canadian  line 
a  few  miles  from  Montreal.  They  had  bad  weather, 
but  good  winds  and  most  of  the  time  the  party  kept 
on  deck  and  viewed  the  beautiful  scenery  of  the  Hud 
son.  They  reached  Albany  in  three  days  and  were 
met  by  Gen.  Schuyler  who  came  from  his  house  about 
a  mile  from  Albany  and  took  the  party  to  dine 
with  him.  Mr.  Carroll  thinks  Albany  larger  than 
Annapolis  but  finds  that  the  people  mostly  speak 
Dutch.  From  Albany  they  go  north  in  a  wagon  accom 
panied  by  Gen.  and  Mrs.  Schuyler,  their  two  daugh 
ters  and  Gen.  Thomas.  Generals  Thomas  and  Schuy 
ler  were  two  of  the  commanders  of  the  American 
troops  in  the  north.  By  evening  the  party  reach  Sara 
toga  Springs  where  Gen.  Schuyler  entertains  them 
at  his  country  seat.  This  is  only  thirty-two  miles  from 
Albany  but  the  roads  were  heavy. 

In  that  early  day  a  man  of  Mr.  Carroll 's  keen  obser 
vation  was  impressed  with  the  necessity  of  an  all  water 
route  from  New  York  to  Quebec  and  he  even  figured 
on  the  cost  of  cutting  a  canal  from  the  Hudson  Eiver 
to  Lake  George.  Mr.  Carroll  and  the  rest  of  his  party 
started  on  the  16th,  ' i  parting  with  the  amiable  family 
of  General  Schuyler  with  regret."  They  breakfasted 
with  Col.  Allen  at  Fort  Edward  on  the  17th  and  drank 
tea  on  the  shore  of  Montcalm  Bay  on  the  18th.  Reach 
ing  the  south  end  of  Lake  George,  Mr.  Carroll  visited 
the  saw  mill,  viewed  the  spot  where  Lord  Howe  was 
killed  and  the  next  day  went  over  to  Ticonderoga. 
Then  they  passed  on  north  and  up  Lake  Champlain 
in  the  bateaux  that  was  to  take  them  to  St.  Johns. 
They  reached  Crown  Point  in  the  afternoon  and  slept 


120     CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

at  a  farm  house  there.  On  the  way  north  they  fre 
quently  stopped  at  the  farm  houses  and  enjoyed  the 
good  meals  the  families  could  furnish.  They  brought 
four  beds  all  the  way  from  Philadelphia  and  usually 
slept  in  them.  But  reaching  the  north  end  of  their 
boat  trip,  they  spent  one  day  and  night  at  the  house 
of  Col.  Hazen  and  the  next  day  crossed  to  St.  Johns 
where  carriages  and  carts  met  them  and  they  were 
taken  eighteen  miles  to  La  Prairie  and  across  to 
Montreal. 

They  were  received  by  Gen.  Arnold  and  some  of 
the  city's  leading  people  were  on  hand  to  welcome 
them.  Then  they  were  quartered  in  the  house  of  Mr. 
Thomas  Walker  described  as  perhaps  the  best  built 
and  the  best  furnished  house  in  town. 

In  his  diary,  Mr.  Carroll  tells  of  the  cordial  recep 
tion  by  Gen.  Arnold,  of  the  entertainments  by  the 
people  and  of  receiving  and  making  visits  which 
occupied  the  next  day. 

The  day  following  the  commissioners  made  their 
first  report  to  the  president  of  the  Congress,  telling 
the  need  of  specie,  of  more  troops  and  of  the  wretched 
condition  of  those  in  Canada.  They  say  "it  is 
impossible  to  give  you  a  just  idea  of  the  lowness  of 
the  Continental  credit  here  and  the  want  of  hard 
money;  and  the  prejudice  it  is  to  our  affairs. "  The 
commissioners  had  full  authority  to  do  what  ever  they 
thought  best ;  to  supervise  the  military,  change  officers, 
treat  with  the  Indians,  order  fortifications,  etc.  They 
held  a  meeting  in  which  all  the  officers  were  given  a 
hearing.  It  wras  determined  to  ask  Congress  for 
£20,000  in  specie  to  pay  the  debts  already  incurred 
and  to  form  a  fund  for  taking  up  continental  bills. 

They  found  that  there  was  a  great  change  of  senti 
ment  against  the  colonies,  caused  by  the  want  of 
money  which  had  forced  the  commanders  to  do  many 


NEWS  FROM  ENGLAND  121 

arbitrary  things  which  the  Canadians  resented.  The 
commissioners  advised  that  the  Americans  evacuate 
Canada  and  fortify  the  places  on  the  lakes.  They  also 
report  that  after  conferences  with  the  Indians  they 
were  assured  of  the  neutrality  of  the  latter  during 
this  contest. 

After  further  informing  Congress  of  the  deplorable 
state  of  affairs;  made  worse  by  the  rigid  spread  of 
small  pox  among  the  troops,  the  commissioners 
express  the  belief  that  "  it  will  not  be  in  our  power 
to  render  our  country  any  further  service  in  this 
colony. ' ' 

Before  going  south,  Mr.  Chase  and  Mr.  Carroll 
wrote  fully  to  Congress  of  the  deplorable  conditions 
and  made  some  further  suggestions.  The  party 
arrived  in  Canada,  April  29th,  and  remained  there 
till  May  llth.  On  that  date  they  visited  Fort  Chamb- 
lay.  Dr.  Franklin  left  for  home  as  the  "hardships  of 
the  trip  were  telling  severely  on  him.  At  this  time 
they  write  Congress,  "  your  Generals  are  now  obliged 
to  be  contractors  and  commissioners,  and  your  com 
missioners,  who  have  neither  ability  nor  inclination 
are  compelled  to  be  Generals. " 

On  May  27th  they  sum  up  by  saying,  "  we  cannot 
find  words  strong  enough  to  describe  our  miserable 
situation;  you  will  have  a  faint  idea  of  it  if  you  will 
figure  to  yourself  an  army  broken  and  disheartened, 
half  of  it  under  innoculation,  or  under  other  diseases ; 
soldiers  without  pay,  without  dicipline,  and  altogether 
reduced  to  live  from  hand  to  mouth,  depending  on  the 
scanty  and  precarious  supplies  of  a  few  half  starved 
cattle,  and  trifling  quantities  of  flour  picked  up  in 
different  parts  of  the  country. " 

After  some  further  recommendations  to  Congress 
they  went  to  St.  Johns  and  made  a  visit  to  General 


122    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

Sullivan  who  had  just  arrived  there  with  fourteen  hun 
dred  men.  They  then  sailed  on  their  return  trip. 

Rev.  John  Carroll  had  returned  with  Dr.  Franklin. 

Mr.  Carroll  and  Mr.  Chase  accompanied  by  Gen. 
Schuyler  who  met  them,  continued  their  way  south. 
At  Saratoga  they  regretted  not  seeing  the  amiable 
family  of  Gen.  Schuyler.  They  were  joined  at  Sara 
toga  by  their  servants  and  their  luggage  and  con 
tinued  the  trip  to  Albany,  thence  to  New  York  on  a 
sloop  that  awaited  them. 

In  New  York  they  reported  to  Gen.  Washington  and 
also  saw  Generals  Gates  and  Putnam.  Gen.  Washing 
ton's  barge  took  them  around  Staten  Island  to  Eliza- 
bethtown.  They  reached  Philadelphia  by  boat  in  the 
night  of  June  10th.  After  Mr.  Chase  and  Mr.  Carroll 
had  left,  Gen.  Washington  wrote  to  the  President  of 
Congress  of  his  seeing  them  and  of  the  report  they 
would  make. 

The  journal  of  Congress  merely  mentions  that  the 
commissioners  made  their  report.  Mr.  Carroll 
remained  a  few  days  in  Philadelphia  attending  as  a 
spectator  the  sessions  of  Congress.  While  there  he 
wrote  to  Gen.  Gates  a  long  but  frank  and  explicit  let 
ter  giving  his  views  of  the  conditions  and  require 
ments  in  Canada.  It  was  believed  that  Gates  would 
be  given  command  of  the  armies  of  the  north. 

The  trip  of  the  eminent  commissioners  was  really 
more  successful  than  is  indicated  by  a  record  of  their 
work.  A  strong  impression  in  our  favor  was  made 
especially  on  the  people  of  the  province  of  Quebec 
and  it  is  believed  that  they  would  have  cast  their  lot 
with  our  colonies  but  for  some  foolish  and  untactful 
letters  written  by  John  Jay  at  a  critical  junction  in 
their  affairs.  Mr.  Jay  bitterly  attacked  the  people  of 
Canada  on  account  of  their  religion  and  settled  the 
matter  against  us. 


CHAPTER  XII 

DECLARATION  OP  INDEPENDENCE  —  THE  NEW  CON 
STITUTION  FOR  MARYLAND 

On  the  return  of  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  from 
his  trip  to  Canada  he  found  that  the  Maryland  Con 
vention  had  been  in  session  since  May  8th  and  that 
it  had  passed  the  following  resolution  of  instructions 
to  the  Maryland  delegates  in  Congress : 

Eesolved  that  as  this  Convention  is  firmly 
persuaded  that  a  reunion  with  Great  Britain  on 
Constitutional  principles  would  most  effectually 
secure  the  rights  and  liberties,  and  increase  the 
strength  and  promote  the  happiness  of  the  whole 
empire,  objects  which  this  Province  hath  ever 
had  in  view,  the  said  deputies  are  bound  and 
directed  to  govern  themselves  by  the  instructions 
in  its  session  of  December  last  in  the  same  man 
ner  as  if  said  instructions  were  herein  repeated. 

Both  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  and  Samuel 
Chase  were  absent  in  Canada  when  this  resolution 
was  passed  and  both  were  chagrined  and  dismayed  on 
learning  of  it. 

Thomas  Johnson  and  Charles  Carroll,  barrister, 
had  represented  Anne  Arundel  County  in  the  con 
vention  during  the  absence  of  the  other  two  members 
in  Canada.  Though  both  of  these  delegates  were 
opposed  to  the  resolution  they  were  not  able  to  pre 
vent  its  passage. 

A  new  convention  however,  met  on  the  21st  of  June. 
Three  of  the  Anne  Arundel  delegates  were  present 
including  Mr.  Chase,  but  Charles  Carroll  of  Carroll- 
ton  did  not  attend  till  the  24th,  being  detained  by  his 
duties  on  the  Council  of  Safety.  On  the  28th  the 

[123] 


124    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  OARROLLTON 

previous  instructions  were  revoked  by  the  passage  of 
this  resolution. 

Resolved,  that  the  instructions  given  by  the 
convention  of  December  last  (and  renewed  by  the 
convention  in  May)  to  the  deputies  of  this  colony 
in  Congress  be  recalled  and  the  restrictions 
therein  contained  removed;  that  the  deputies  of 
this  colony  attending  in  Congress,  or  a  majority 
of  them  or  any  three  or  more  of  them,  be  author 
ized  and  empowered  to  concur  with  the  other 
united  colonies,  or  a  majority  of  them  in  declar 
ing  the  united  colonies  free  and  independent 
states,  provided  the  sole  and  exclusive  right  of 
regulations  of  the  internal  government  and  policy 
of  this  colony  be  reserved  to  the  people  thereof. 

A  resolution  was  then  adopted  providing  for  a  con 
vention  to  frame  a  new  Constitution  for  Maryland 
and  on  the  fourth  of  July  delegates  were  elected  to 
represent  the  colony  in  Congress.  Matthew  Tilghman, 
Thomas  Johnson,  Wm.  Paca,  Samuel  Chase,  Thomas 
Stone  and  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  were  elected. 

The  convention  adjourned  on  the  6th  after  issuing 
an  address  to  the  people  of  the  Province  reciting  the 
wrongs  they  had  suffered  and  the  determination  to 
separate  from  Great  Britain;  the  King  having  vio 
lated  his  compact  with  the  people. 

The  historians  of  Maryland  say  that  Charles  Car 
roll  of  Carrollton  was  principally  instrumental  in 
securing  the  passage  of  the  resolution  favoring  inde 
pendence  and  that  he  was  elected  to  Congress  as  a 
reward  for  this  service. 

Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  and  Samuel  Chase 
were  just  from  Philadelphia  where  they  had  been  in 
constant  conference  with  the  members  of  Congress 
on  the  question  of  independence. 

Virginia  had  already  declared  herself  a  sovereign 
state  and  the  patriot  party  of  Maryland  was  anxious 


NEW  CONSTITUTION  FOB  MARYLAND  125 

to  get  in  line  with  her ;  and  men  like  Carroll  and  Chase 
chafed  under  anything  like  restraint. 

The  new  members  of  Congress  from  Maryland  hur 
ried  to  Philadelphia  and  took  their  seats  on  July  18th, 
Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  among  them.  On  the 
next  day  the  Declaration  of  Independence  which  had 
passed  July  4th  was  ordered  engrossed  on  parchment 
and  on  August  2nd  it  was  signed  by  those  present  on 
that  day. 

On  the  day  he  was  sworn  in,  July  18th,  Charles 
Carroll  of  Carrollton,  was  appointed  on  a  committee 
of  three  to  examine  and  report  on  some  interrupted 
correspondence  from  Lord  Howe  to  Governors  Dins- 
more  of  Virginia  and  Eden  of  Maryland. 

On  the  19th  he  was  appointed  as  an  additional  mem 
ber  of  the  Board  of  War.  This  board  as  now  consti 
tuted  was  made  up  of  six  members,  John  Adams, 
Roger  Sherman,  Benjamin  Harrison,  James  Wilson, 
Edmund  Rutledge,  and  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton 
with  Richard  Peters  as  the  Secretary. 

In  his  diary,  John  Adams  has  an  entry  of  July  18th 
in  reference  to  the  address  to  the  War  Board  which 
said,  "  the  member  chosen  is  Mr.  Carroll.  An  excel 
lent  member  whose  education,  manners  and  applica 
tion  to  business  and  to  study  did  honor  to  his  fortune, 
the  first  in  America. " 

The  new  convention  to  frame  a  form  of  government 
for  Maryland  now  a  State,  met  at  Annapolis  August 
14th  of  this  year.  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  and 
William  Paca  were  the  members  from  Anne  Arundel 
County.  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  came  over 
from  Philadelphia  and  took  his  seat  on  the  17th. 
Work  of  the  convention  went  right  on  in  a  most 
expeditious  and  business  like  manner.  Matthew 
Tilghman  was  made  president  of  the  convention.  A 


126    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

committee  of  three  with  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton 
as  chairman  was  named  to  report  upon  the  state  of 
the  loan  office.  Then  a  committee  of  Maryland's 
greatest  minds  was  designated  to  draw  a  bill  of  Rights 
and  a  Constitution.  This  committee  consisted  of 
Matthew  Tilghman,  Charles  Carroll,  barrister, 
William  Paca,  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton,  George 
Plater,  Samuel  Chase  and  Robert  Goldsborough. 
Maryland  was  represented  in  Congress  during  this 
period  by  a  single  member  Thomas  Stone,  the  other 
members  having  gone  home  to  attend  the  state  con 
vention. 

There  were  some  disagreements  as  to  the  Bill  of 
Rights  and  Charles  Carroll,  barrister,  with  Thos. 
Beale  Worthington  and  Samuel  Chase  withdrew  from 
the  convention.  The  two  latter  were  re-elected  to  the 
convention  but  Charles  Carroll,  barrister,  was  left  off 
at  his  own  request  and  was  made  a  member  of 
Congress. 

On  the  17th  of  September  the  Maryland  convention 
adjourned  to  October  2nd  and  the  members  of  Con 
gress  returned  to  their  duties  in  that  body. 

On  the  reassembling  of  the  convention  Charles  Car 
roll  of  Carrollton  was  in  his  seat.  He  was  appointed 
on  a  committee  to  prepare  and  present  a  plan  for 
issuing  bills  of  credit  so  that  the  state  could  meet  the 
necessary  expense  of  defense. 

The  Maryland  delegates  in  Congress  and  three 
others  formed  a  committee  to  consider  matters  for 
Congress  relating  to  the  State  of  Maryland.  Except 
for  a  few  days  absence  on  account  of  illness  in  his 
family,  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  continued  his 
service  every  day  of  the  seven  for  the  convention 
held  its  sessions  on  Sunday  and  the  legislative  bodies 
of  the  State  continued  to  do  so  for  a  number  of  years. 
The  theory  of  this  was  that  the  work  for  the  people 


NEW  CONSTITUTION  FOE  MAEYLAND  127 

was  the  Lord 's  work  and  therefore  was  no  desecration 
of  the  Sabbath. 

On  the  31st  the  Bills  of  Eights  was  taken  up  and 
with  some  amendation  adopted  on  November  3rd. 
The  Constitution  was  then  discussed  till  the  8th  when 
it  was  adopted  and  after  clearing  up  some  inci 
dental  business  relating  to  expenses  the  convention 
adjourned  November  llth. 

Thos.  Johnson  was  elected  Governor  under  the  Con 
stitution  on  the  13th.  On  the  following  day  his  five 
counsellors  were  selected  and  Charles  Carroll  of 
Annapolis  headed  the  list.  Both  father  and  son 
appreciated  this  compliment  and  it  must  have  been 
especially  pleasing  and  gratifying  to  the  elder  Carroll 
who  had  so  long  chafed  under  the  political  disability 
of  his  family  and  friends.  To  see  his  son  the  most 
prominent  and  honored  man  of  the  Province  and  a 
power  in  the  nation,  and  to  be  called  himself  to  a 
position  of  great  honor  must  have  been  a  pretty  full 
vindication  for  him  in  his  advancing  years.  His 
health  however,  with  the  duties  of  the  great  estate  to 
look  after,  caused  him  to  decline  the  compliment.  It 
can  readily  be  seen  that  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton 
had  but  little  time  for  attention  to  the  private  affairs 
of  the  family. 

The  idea  of  a  Senate  as  an  upper  house  was  origi 
nated  and  perfected  by  Mr.  Carroll.  Some  question 
as  to  this  was  raised  during  Mr.  Carroll's  life  time 
and  in  1817  being  asked  as  to  the  facts  he  wrote  this 
letter  of  explanation: 

I  was  one  of  the  committee  that  framed  the 
constitution  of  this  state  and  the  mode  of  chusing 
the  Senate  was  suggested  by  me ;  no  objection  was 
made  to  it  in  the  committee  as  I  remember  except 
by  Mr.  Johnson,  who  disliked  the  Senate's  filling 
up  the  vacancies  in  its  own  body.  I  replied  that 


128    CHARLES  CAREOLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

if  the  mode  of  chusing  Senators  by  electors  was 
deemed  eligible,  the  filling  up  vacancies  by  that 
body  was  inevitable  as  the  electors  could  not  be 
convened  to  make  choice  of  a  Senator  on  every 
vacancy  and  that  the  senate  acting  under  the 
sanctity  of  an  oath  and  esprit  de  corps,  would 
insure  the  election  of  the  fittest  men  for  that  sta 
tion,  nor  do  I  recollect  while  I  was  in  the  senate, 
that  the  power  intrusted  to  it  in  this  instance  was 
ever  abused  and  perverted  to  party  views.  I  do 
not  remember,  at  this  distance  of  time,  whether 
this  part  of  the  committee's  report  was  objected 
to  in  the  convention,  nor  any  reports  of  its  debates 
and  proceedings  other  than  that  found  in  Han 
son's  edition  of  the  laws,  nor  what  was  under 
standing  of  that  body  respecting  the  right  of  the 
Governor  of  nominating  to  the  council. 

The  Congress  was  still  in  session  in  Baltimore  in 
February  1777.  On  that  date  the  Council  of  Safety 
called  the  first  Assembly  of  Maryland  together.  It 
met  in  Annapolis  on  February  5th.  The  Senate 
selected  by  the  board  of  electors  as  provided  by  the 
Constitution,  was  made  up  of  Charles  Carroll  of  Car- 
rollton,  Daniel  of  St.  Thomas  Jenifer,  George  Plater, 
William  Paca,  Thomas  Stone,  Joseph  Nicholson,  Jr., 
Brice  T.  B.  Worthington,  Turbutt  Wright,  Samuel 
Wilson,  James  Tilghman,  Mathew  Tilghman,  Robert 
Goldsborough,  Charles  Carroll,  barrister,  Thomas 
Johnson  and  Thomas  Contee. 

Some  routine  business  was  first  transacted  which 
gets  meagre  mention  on  the  records.  Then  instruc 
tions  were  given  as  to  a  Virginia  regiment  serving  in 
Maryland.  A  vote  for  Governor  was  taken  on  the  13th 
and  Thomas  Johnson  was  made  the  State's  first 
Executive.  This  mode  of  electing  a  Governor  by  the 
Legislature  was  continued  till  up  to  the  time  of  a  few 
people  still  alive.  Governor  Samuel  Stevens  of  Tal- 
bot,  the  last  Governor  elected  by  the  Legislature,  lived 


NEW  CONSTITUTION  FOE  MARYLAND  129 

till  after  the  Civil  War  and  was  always  a  conspicuous 
and  honored  figure  at  great  political  gatherings. 

On  the  15th  the  Maryland  delegates  to  Congress 
were  elected  as  follows:  Samuel  Chase,  Benjamin 
Rumsey,  William  Smith,  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton, 
Thomas  Stone  and  William  Paca.  Mr.  Stone  declined 
to  serve.  Mr.  Rumsey  was  the  father  of  the  Maryland 
man  who  built  the  first  steamboat. 

So  many  of  the  Senators  were  also  members  of  Con 
gress  that  it  was  hard  to  get  or  hold  a  quorum. 
Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  however  attended  most 
of  the  sessions  of  the  Senate  till  adjournment  April  17. 

At  this  session  of  the  Assembly  the  Maryland  dele 
gates  to  Congress  were  instructed  to  bring  the  thirteen 
States  into  a  confederation  for  a  stricter  union.  Other 
instructions  were  given  in  regard  to  proportioning  the 
debt  of  the  States,  etc. 

Col.  John  Fitzgerald  of  Washington's  staff  writes 
from  Morristown,  N.  J.,  to  tell  Charles  Carroll  of 
Carrollton  that  an  armed  vessel  arrived  at  Portsmouth 
on  the  18th  from  France  with  a  cargo  of  12,000  stands 
of  arms,  1,000  barrels  of  powder,  flints,  guns  for  frig 
ate,  woolens,  linens,  etc.,  and  also  that  a  50  gun  ship 
sailed  at  the  same  time  laden  with  heavy  artillery  and 
military  stores.  The  colonel  says  "  this  news  I  am 
sure  will  be  very  agreeable  to  you  and  every  other 
gentleman  so  strongly  attached  and  deeply  interested 
in  this  dispute. ' ' 

After  putting  in  a  few  days,  two  weeks  only  in  fact, 
on  some  affairs  of  private  business  Charles  Carroll  of 
Carrollton  appeared  in  his  seat  in  Congress  May  5th 
and  was  soon  also  in  his  old  place  in  the  Board  of  War. 
Samuel  Adams  was  made  a  member  of  the  board  and 
Mr.  Nourse  was  installed  as  assistant  to  Mr.  Peters, 
the  clerk. 

The  War  Board  was  instructed  to  outline  plans  of 
5 


130    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

campaign  and  to  make  recommendations  for  improving 
the  discipline  of  the  army. 

Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  was  added  to  the  Com 
mittee  on  Foreign  Applications  on  May  12th.  This 
was  doubtless  done  at  the  suggestion  of  General  Wash 
ington,  who  wanted  to  keep  a  closer  line  on  the  foreign 
officers  who  desired  to  enter  our  army.  Mr.  Carroll's 
French  acquaintance  and  his  familiarity  with  that 
tongue  made  him  especially  useful  in  this  work,  as 
most  of  the  applicants  were  French.  The  Committee 
on  Applications  became  really  an  annex  of  the  War 
Board.  In  July  Samuel  Chase  came  to  take  his  seat 
in  Congress  which  enabled  Mr.  Carroll  to  take  a  rest. 

In  August  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  wrote  to 
Dr.  Franklin  in  Paris  giving  him  a  pretty  full  account 
of  the  progress  of  the  war  and  the  condition  of  things 
generally.  He  feels  assured  that  the  struggle  for  inde 
pendence  will  be  crowned  with  success  but  feels  we 
must  suffer  in  the  meantime.  His  greatest  apprehen 
sion  is  the  fear  of  the  depreciation  of  our  paper  money. 
He  mentions  the  possibility  of  engaging  some  foreign 
soldiers  but  does  not  like  the  idea.  The  want  of  salt 
is  mentioned  and  he  says  a  bushel  of  salt  sold  in  Balti 
more  for  £9  ($40)  —  necessaries  of  life  except  wheat 
are  very  high  —  a  part  of  this  is  told  in  a  postscript 
which  he  mentions  is  longer  than  the  letter. 

The  letter  shows  the  cordial,  almost  brotherly  feel 
ing  that  existed  between  Mr.  Carroll  and  Dr.  Franklin. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

SIGNING  OF  THE  DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE, 
AND  THE  MEN  WHO  SIGNED 

Although  the  story  of  the  signing  of  the  Declaration 
of  Independence  has  been  written  about  and  talked 
about  for  over  one  hundred  and  forty-one  years,  most 
people  of  to-day  have  only  a  vague  impression  of  what 
actually  took  place.  The  most  recent  telling  of  the 
story  by  an  actual  participant  was  in  1826  when  the 
scene  was  revived  and  Mr.  Carroll  talked  freely  and 
fully  about  it. 

In  the  Spring  of  that  year  Congress  resolved  that 
it  would  be  fitting  to  celebrate  the  fiftieth  anniversary 
of  the  Signing  by  having  facsimile  copies  of  the  docu 
ment  made.  A  sum  of  money  was  appropriated  and 
two  hundred  and  fifty  copies  of  the  old  document  were 
ordered,  which  should  be  reproductions  of  the  original 
as  perfect  as  the  art  of  engraving  could  produce.  Two 
copies  were  ordered  presented  to  each  of  the  living 
signers,  and  two  to  each  family  of  a  deceased  signer. 
At  the  time  this  order  was  given  John  Adams,  Thomas 
Jefferson  and  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  were  alive. 
But  on  the  4th  of  July  of  that  year,  and  before  the 
engraving  of  the  document  had  been  completed, 
Jefferson  and  Adams  both  died.  This  left  Mr.  Carroll 
as  the  only  living  signer. 

The  copies  were  finished  and  ready  for  delivery  soon 
after  Sept.  1st.  Mr.  Carroll  was  notified  that  a  com 
mittee  from  Washington,  accompanied  by  a  messenger 
bringing  the  two  copies  would  call  on  him  to  deliver 
the  documents  on  Sept.  21.  He  was  in  Annapolis  when 
the  messenger  came  but  notified  the  committee  that  he 
would  receive  them  at  the  Manor. 

[131] 


132    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

The  committee  was  headed  by  Hon.  Ezekel  F.  Cham 
bers,  then  a  Senator  from  Maryland.  Mr.  Carroll  had 
called  together  his  family  and  a  few  friends  and  with 
these  received  the  committee  and  messenger  who 
brought  the  copies  of  The  Declaration  of  Independ 
ence,  as  made  under  the  direction  of  Congress.  The 
two  copies  were  presented  and  Judge  Chambers  after 
felicitating  Mr.  Carroll  on  his  good  health  and  his  long 
life  of  usefulness  handed  him  the  following  letter : 

Dept.  of  State, 

Washington,  D.  C. 

To  Charles  Carroll, 

of  Carrollton. 

Sin- 
In  pursuance  of  a  joint  resolution  of  the  two 
houses  of  Congress,  a  copy  of  which  is  hereto 
annexed,  and  by  direction  of  the  President  of  the 
United  States,  I  have  the  honor  of  transmitting 
to  you  two  facsimile  copies  of  the  original  Decla 
ration  of  Independence  engrossed  on  parchment, 
conformably  to  a  resolution  of  Congress  of  nine 
teenth  of  July,  1776,  to  be  signed  by  every  mem 
ber  of  Congress,  and  accordingly  signed  on  the 
second  day  of  August,  of  the  same  year.  Of  this 
document,  unparalleled  in  the  annals  of  mankind, 
the  original,  deposited  in  this  department,  exhibits 
your  name  as  one  of  the  subscribers.  The  rolls 
herewith  transmitted  are  copies  as  exact  as  the 
art  of  engraving  can  present,  of  the  instrument 
itself,  as  well  as  of  the  Signers  to  it. 

While  performing  the  duty  thus  assigned  me, 
permit  me  to  felicitate  you,  and  the  country  which 
is  reaping  the  rewards  of  your  labors  as  well; 
that  your  hand  was  affixed  to  this  record  of  glory, 
as  that,  after  the  lapse  of  near  half  a  century,  you 
survive  to  receive  this  tribute  of  reverence  and 
gratitude  from  your  children,  the  present  fathers 
of  the  land. 


DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE      133 

With  every  sentiment  of  veneration,  I  have  the 
honor  of  subscribing  myself  your  fellow  citizen. 

JOHN  QUINCY  ADAMS. 

Presented  at 

Doughoregan  Manor, 
Sept.  15th,  1826. 

The  occasion  revived  the  story  of  the  signing.  Mr. 
J.  H.  B.  Latrobe,  who  wrote  the  life  of  Mr.  Carroll  for 
Sanderson's  Lives  of  the  Signers,  was  one  of  those 
present.  He  and  Judge  Chambers  lived  to  tell  the 
story  of  that  evening  to  people  of  the  present  genera 
tion.  Mr.  Latrobe  was  at  that  time  at  work  on  what 
he  hoped  would  be  another  edition  of  his  "  Life  of  Mr. 
Carroll "  and  was,  therefore,  careful  to  note  his 
explanation  with  care. 

Mr.  Jefferson,  by  inadvertently  omitting  the  word 
"  afterwards  "  in  his  brief  account  of  their  doings, 
caused  people  erroneously  to  believe  that  the  document 
was  signed  on  July  Fourth,  when,  in  fact,  it  was  not 
signed  for  weeks  and  even  months  afterwards.  The 
only  signing  on  the  Fourth  of  July  was  by  John 
Hancock,  the  President,  and  Charles  Thompson,  the 
Secretary. 

In  fact,  the  idea  of  signing  did  not  seem  to  occur  to 
anyone  till  some  time  afterwards. 

On  the  19th  of  July  Congress  passed  a  resolution 
directing  a  copy  of  the  document  to  be  made  on  parch 
ment,  to  which  the  signatures  of  members  of  Congress 
should  be  appended. 

This  was  done  and  on  August  2  all  members  present 
affixed  their  names. 

On  the  Fourth  of  July  previous,  after  the  vote  had 
been  taken,  about  7  o'clock  in  the  evening,  it  is  told 
that  the  Liberty  bell  was  rung  as  an  announcement  to 
the  people  that  the  Declaration  of  Independence  had 
been  adopted. 


134    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

As  the  bell  pealed  the  news,  Mr.  Dickinson  seriously 
observed:  "  I  regard  that  as  the  death  knell  of  these 
colonies. " 

Benjamin  Franklin  replied:  "And  I  regard  it  as  the 
announcement  of  the  birth  of  a  nation. ' ' 

Mr.  Carroll  made  it  clear  always  that  he  did  not 
have  the  opportunity  to  vote  for  independence. 

On  the  last  days  of  June  and  first  days  of  July  he 
was  busy  in  Annapolis,  persuading  the  Maryland 
Assembly  to  revoke  the  instruction  to  their  delegation 
in  Congress  against  independence.  This  he  succeeded 
in  doing,  but  did  not  get  to  Philadelphia  till  after  July 
4th.  His  account  of  what  went  on  in  Congress  was, 
therefore,  learned  in  his  many  talks  with  his  associates. 

On  the  first  of  July,  1776,  Congress  was  struggling 
with  the  question  of  independence.  Many  patriots  felt 
that  the  colonies  had  such  good  friends  in  England 
that  it  would  be  most  politic  to  make  the  fight  as 
English  colonies.  A  number  of  the  colonies,  among 
them  New  York  and  Maryland,  had  instructed  their 
representatives  not  to  vote  for  independence.  Such 
instructions,  however,  had  been  modified  or  revoked 
when  the  actual  struggle  began. 

The  real  fight  opened  July  2,  when  Mr.  Lee  of 
Virginia  offered  this  resolution: 

Resolved,  That  these  United  Colonies  are,  and 
of  right  ought  to  be  free  and  independent  states : 
that  they  are  absolved  from  all  allegiance  to  the 
British  Crown,  and  that  all  political  connection 
between  them  and  the  State  of  Great  Britain,  is 
and  ought  to  be,  totally  dissolved. " 

The  resolution  after  being  hotly  debated  all  day  was 
unanimously  carried. 

A  committee  of  five  with  Mr.  Jefferson  as  Chairman 
was  appointed  to  draft  a  formal  Declaration  of  Inde 
pendence.  This  committee  made  its  report  on  July 


DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE      135 

4  —  Mr.  Jefferson  laid  the  document  he  had  prepared 
before  his  associates,  merely  remarking:  "  I  present 
this  as  embodying  the  views  of  your  committee.  It  is 
for  you  to  adopt,  reject  or  correct.  In  discussing  its 
merits  I  shall  take  no  part.  The  document  itself 
speaks  for  the  committee. " 

It  was  read  through  and  then  taken  up  by  para 
graphs.  John  Adams,  one  of  the  committee,  vigor 
ously  insisted  on  its  adoption  as  presented,  but  there 
was  strong  opposition  to  much  of  it  and  the  debate 
continued  all  day. 

Several  times  Mr.  Jefferson  went  over  to  some 
friend  with  "  They  are  cutting  the  life  out  of  the 
paper.  They  are  eliminating  my  best  sentences. ' '  But 
it  was  not  till  this  paragraph  was  reached  and  seemed 
about  to  be  condemned  that  Mr.  Jefferson  became  much 
excited.  It  is  a  part  of  the  arraignment  of  the  King 
of  England.  "  He  has  waged  cruel  war  against  human 
nature  itself,  violating  its  most  sacred  rights  of  life  and 
liberty  in  the  persons  of  a  distant  people  who  never 
offended  him,  capturing  and  carrying  them  into  slav 
ery  in  another  hemisphere,  or  to  incur  miserable  death 
in  their  transportation  thither.  This  piracy,  the  oppro 
brium  of  infidel  powers,  is  the  warfare  of  the  Christian 
King  of  Great  Britain.  Determined  to  keep  open  a 
market  where  men  should  be  bought  and  sold,  he  pros 
tituted  his  negative  for  suppressing  every  legisla 
tive  attempt  to  prohibit  or  restrain  this  infamous 
commerce. 

This  was  a  proposition  to  put  Congress  on  record  as 
vigorously  opposing  the  slave  trade.  Mr.  Jefferson 
was  earnestly  and  anxiously  in  favor  of  the  clause. 

But,  two  southern  States  that  favored  the  slave 
trade  and  some  northern  states  that  were  profitably 
engaged  in  catching  and  selling  slaves,  united  against 
the  paragraph  and  it  was  stricken  out. 


136  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

The  document  was  further  amended  by  Congress  in 
a  number  of  respects.  Some  paragraphs  were  cut  out 
and  some  new  matter  inserted,  and  at  7  o  'clock  in  the 
evening,  as  amended  it  was  put  on  its  final  passage, 
and  was  unanimously  adopted.  It  was  signed  by  John 
Hancock  and  Charles  Thompson,  as  President  and 
Secretary,  but  by  no  one  else  at  that  time. 

On  August  2,  the  copy  of  the  Declaration  of  Inde 
pendence  as  finally  adopted  by  Congress  July  4  was 
brought  into  the  hall  and  placed  on  Mr.  Thompson's 
desk  for  inspection  and  approval. 

John  Hancock  said,  "  Now,  gentlemen,  the  docu 
ment  is  ready  for  your  signatures."  Some  one 
observed  "  but  you  haven't  signed."  When  he 
answered,  "  as  I  signed  the  original  document  in  sign 
ing  the  minutes  of  July  4th,  I  incur  no  added  responsi 
bility  in  signing  this  copy. ' ' 

Turning  to  Mr.  Carroll  he  asked  '  '  Mr.  Carroll,  have 
you  any  objection  to  signing."  Mr.  Carroll  replied 
"  Not  the  least.  Where  shall  I  sign?  " 

Mr.  Hancock  handed  him  the  quill  pen  and  looking 
over  the  document  Mr.  Carroll  said,  "  I  will  sign 
here, ' '  and  he  placed  his  name  in  the  position  shown  on 
the  copy.  The  other  Maryland  delegates  were  present 
and  signed,  and  the  signing  continued  till  the  thirty- 
five  members  present  had  affixed  their  signatures.  The 
document  remained  in  the  custody  of  Mr.  Thompson, 
the  Secretary,  and  each  day  as  members  appeared 
who  had  not  signed,  their  attention  was  called  to  the 
paper.  By  September  15  all  the  signatures  were  affixed 
except  two.  One  of  these  signed  in  December  and 
John  Dickinson  of  Pennsylvania  declined  to  sign.  He 
was  a  patriot  and  in  full  accord  with  the  work  of  Con 
gress,  but  being  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends, 
declined  to  take  a  step  which  meant  war. 

Few  people  of  the  present  day  have  anything  like 


DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE      137 

an  adequate  appreciation  of  the  exalted  character,  high 
ideals  and  genuine  patriotism  of  the  men  who  risked 
their  all  in  the  cause  of  independence. 

It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that,  taken  as  a  whole,  their 
equal  as  a  legislative  body  has  been  seen  in  no  assem 
blage  in  England  or  America  since  their  time.  In  the 
qualifications  of  education,  moral  character  and  busi 
ness  capacity  they  measured  well  above  any  similar 
body  of  their  day  or  since. 

Of  the  fifty-two  signers,  all  but  six  were  graduates 
of  colonial  or  European  colleges,  or  some  one  of  the 
excellent  academies  of  the  times;  or  were  the  sons  of 
wealthy  men  who  had  seen  to  their  education  at  the 
hands  of  competent  tutors  —  a  custom  that  was  much 
followed  at  that  time. 

In  short,  all  but  six  were  men  who  began  life  with 
broad,  classical  educations.  Of  the  six  who  commenced 
their  careers  without  such  equipment,  one  was  Ben 
jamin  Franklin,  probably  the  best  informed  man  in 
an  all-round  way  of  his  own  or  any  other  age.  Another, 
Roger  Sherman,  began  his  lifework  as  a  shoemaker, 
but  was  enough  of  a  scholar  in  later  years  to  be  made 
Treasurer  of  Yale  College;  two  were  surveyors. 
Another,  Josiah  Bartlett,  became  Chief  Justice  of  his 
state.  Eight  of  the  signers  were  graduates  of  Harvard, 
five  of  Yale,  three  of  William  and  Mary  College,  three 
of  the  College  of  Philadelphia,  two  of  Princeton,  one  of 
the  College  of  New  Jersey,  ten  of  Oxford,  Cambridge 
and  other  English  colleges,  while  sixteen  were  liberally 
educated  at  the  smaller  colleges  and  academies  or  at 
the  hands  of  private  tutors.  With  all  our  boasted 
educational  facilities,  where  can  a  body  of  men  be 
found,  each  so  well  equipped  for  the  duties  of  a  public 
career  ? 

It  was  of  such  men  that  Lord  Chatham  in  the  Brit 
ish  House  of  Lords  said:  "  For  myself  I  will  affirm 


138    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

that  for  strength  of  purpose,  wisdom,  sagacity  and 
force  in  the  face  of  trying  circumstances  no  men 
or  body  of  men  in  all  history  ever  equaled  that 
Continental  Congress  at  Philadelphia. ' ' 

These  men  were  thoroughly  imbued  with  the  spirit 
of  liberty,  and  independence,  and  with  the  ideas  of  the 
rights  of  man  as  embodied  in  the  writings  of  the  rad 
ical  philosophers  of  England,  France  and  Germany. 

As  late  as  in  1876  when  Hon.  John  Lee  Carroll  was 
Governor  of  Maryland,  well  thumbed  copies  of  the 
writings  of  Locke,  Hobbs,  Selden  and  Puffendorf  in 
English,  Latin  and  German,  as  well  as  many  French 
books  of  the  same  character  were  to  be  found  in  the 
library  at  Doughoregan  Manor  where  they  had  been 
used  by  the  illustrious  signers  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence.  They  are  probably  all  there  to-day 
bearing  the  notations  and  comments  of  their  first 
owner. 

In  a  home-made  blank  book  of  foolscap  paper  with 
blue  pasteboard  covers  marked  in  his  own  hand 
writing,  "  Some  things  I  want  to  remember. "  Mr. 
Carroll  had  made  extracts  from  and  references  to 
many  of  these  radical  writers.  Some  comments  in  this 
book  also  referred  in  a  half  humorous  way  to  a  speech 
made  in  the  British  Parliament  by  a  member,  who 
said,  "If  we  do  not  completely  crush  the  Americans 
there  is  great  danger  of  their  coming  over  here  and 
making  slaves  of  us. ' ' 

An  effort  to  unearth  this  book  failed  and  the  present 
Mr.  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  thought  it  might  be 
in  Italy  where  some  of  the  papers  had  been  taken. 

The  comments  and  extracts  showed  that  even  then, 
Mr.  Carroll  did  not  entirely  agree  with  Jefferson  in 
some  of  his  more  radical  views.  Mr.  Carroll  thought 
the  Declaration  of  Independence  more  expressive  and 
impressive  in  the  form  that  it  was  adopted  than  it 


DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE      139 

would  have  been  with  the  sentences  that  Congress 
struck  out.  In  this  view  he  differed  from  Adams  and 
Franklin  whose  opinion  he  freely  quoted  in  this  con 
nection.  This  book  showed  above  everything  else  the 
high  esteem  in  which  Mr.  Carroll  held  the  views  of 
Washington  on  questions  of  peace  as  well  as  of  war, 
and  how  closely  the  two  had  cooperated  to  the  very  end 
of  President  Washington's  great  career.  One  line  in 
this  book  written  after  a  series  of  events  very  depress 
ing  to  the  Americans  read,  ' '  The  despair  of  a  brave 
people  always  turns  to  courage. " 

The  story  is  often  told  that  Mr.  Carroll  wrote  his 
name  "  Charles  Carroll/'  when  some  one  said,  "  I  see 
several  millions  gone  by  confiscation, "  and  another 
replied,  "  Oh,  there  are  several  Charles  Carrolls." 
Mr.  Carroll  took  his  pen  and  added  "  of  Carrollton." 
This  story  is  not  true.  The  signer  wrote  his  name 
"  Charles  Carroll,  of  Carrollton, "  and  his  cousin 
Charles  wrote  his  '  '  Charles  Carroll,  barrister. ' r 

But  Mr.  Latrobe  felt  sure  of  the  truth  of  the  dia 
logue  between  Judge  Chase  and  Dr.  Franklin.  When 
twenty-seven  had  finished  signing,  Judge  Chase 
seriously  remarked :  l '  Having  taken  this  step,  we  must 
hang  together. " 

Franklin  laughingly  replied:  "  If  we  don't  do  that, 
we  will  hang  separately." 

Mr.  Latrobe  first  gave  this  story  to  the  public  as  it 
came  from  Judge  Chase  himself. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

WORK  IN  STATE  AND  NATIONAL  LEGISLATION  — 
DEATH  OF  FATHER  AND  WIFE 

Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  with  Samuel  Chase 
and  John  Penn  were  sent  by  Congress  to  the  army  to 
look  fully  into  its  conditions. 

On  August  22,  Mr.  Carroll  wrote  to  Governor  John 
son  telling  him  of  the  arrival  of  Howe 's  fleet  with  the 
army  on  board  and  thinks  he  intends  to  form  an 
encampment  on  the  peninsula.  He  asks  if  the  Assembly 
should  be  convened.  He  thinks  Howe  will  recruit  his 
army  from  the  disaffected  of  Delaware  and  the  East 
ern  Shore,  and  move  on  Philadelphia.  He  also  gives 
the  Governor  news  of  the  army  of  the  North. 

The  letter  mentioned  above  was  written  from 
General  Smallwood 's  headquarters. 

Sept.  14th  General  Smallwood  wrote  Governor 
Johnson  that  he  was  setting  out  for  Philadelphia  to 
join  General  Washington's  army  and  Mr.  Carroll 
added  a  postscript  saying  he  would  remain  with 
General  Smallwood  and  then  either  return  home  or  go 
into  Congress. 

On  the  22d  of  September  he  wrote  to  General  Wash 
ington,  making  some  suggestions  and  said  as  Mr. 
Smith,  one  of  the  delegates,  was  going  home,  he 
would  have  to  go  on  to  Congress  to  keep  the  State 
represented. 

On  the  27th  of  September  he  writes  General  Washing 
ton  from  Lancaster,  Pa.,  making  some  further  sugges 
tions,  and  regrets  that  two  officers  of  the  army  were 
much  addicted  to  liquor  and  asks  what  confidence  can 
be  reposed  in  such  men.  He  makes  some  further  sug 
gestions  and  adds :  ' '  My  zeal  for  our  Country,  and 

[141] 


142  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

my  wishes  for  your  success,  have  compelled  me  to 
write  thus  fully  on  a  subject  which  claims  all  your 
attention. ' ' 

When  the  Congress  met  at  Lancaster,  Pa.,  Sept.  27, 
1777,  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  and  Samuel  Chase 
were  the  only  Maryland  delegates  present.  Congress 
went  to  York,  Pa.,  where  it  assembled  on  the  30th  and 
the  Articles  of  Confederation  which  had  been  many 
times  under  consideration  during  the  Summer  were 
taken  up.  The  point  of  difference  was  a  clause  provid 
ing  for  representation  according  to  population,  every 
50,000  inhabitants  to  be  entitled  to  a  representative. 
The  Marylanders  opposed  the  plan  and  it  was  defeated 
as  were  several  others  of  a  similar  nature.  It  was 
finally  determined  that  no  State  should  have  less  than 
two  nor  more  than  seven  members.  Several  proposi 
tions  in  regard  to  public  lands  were  considered  without 
results. 

The  defeat  of  Burgoyne  was  a  subject  of  great  con 
gratulation  in  Congress  but  Mr.  Carroll  was  at  home 
with  his  family  when  the  news  was  received. 

On  October  22,  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  wrote 
to  Richard  Peters,  Secretary  of  the  War  Board,  send 
ing  congratulations  on  the  capture  of  Burgoyne.  This 
letter  was  written  from  Doughoregan  Manor  where 
Mr.  Carroll's  family  and  his  father  were  spending 
most  of  their  time. 

Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  took  his  seat  in  the 
Maryland  Assembly  October  31st.  That  body  had 
been  convened  at  his  suggestions  made  to  Governor 
Johnson  and  had  met  October  22.  Charles  Carroll, 
barrister,  arrived  the  7th  of  November. 

Daniel  Carroll  of  Rock  Creek  was  elected  to  the 
Council  in  October,  so  that  there  were  now  three  mem 
bers  of  the  Carroll  family  in  the  State  government. 

On  December  5th  the  new  delegation  to  Congress 


DEATH  OF  FATHER  AND  WIFE         143 

was  elected.  It  consisted  of  Samuel  Chase,  Wm.  Paca, 
George  Plater,  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton,  Thos. 
Stone  and  Joseph  Nicholson. 

Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton,  Thomas  Stone  and 
Brice  B.  T.  Worthington  were  named  as  a  committee 
of  the  Senate  to  unite  with  one  from  the  House  to  pre 
pare  rules  for  the  guidance  of  the  Maryland  Commis 
sion  which  was  to  meet  a  similar  commission  from 
Virginia  to  settle  the  boundary  disputes.  These 
instructions  were  drawn  by  Charles  Carroll  of  Car 
rollton  and  were  reported  to  the  House  and  Senate 
and  being  adopted  were  delivered  to  the  Commission 
ers.  They  were  very  definite  and  explicit. 

Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  made  his  appearance 
in  Congress  January  17,  1778,  accompanied  by  James 
Forbes,  who  has  been  selected  in  place  of  William 
Paca,  who  declined. 

On  January  20,  Congress  resolved  to  add  two  mem 
bers  to  the  committee,  which  was  to  repair  to  the  army 
and  report  on  the  state  of  the  troops.  The  two  mem 
bers  added  to  the  committee  were  Charles  Carroll  of 
Carrollton  and  Governeur  Morris.  The  three  orig 
inal  members  were  Francis  Dana,  Joseph  Eeed  and 
Nathaniel  Folsom. 

Some  changes  in  the  organization  of  the  army  were 
deemed  advisable  by  Congress  and  to  this  end  three 
members  of  Congress  with  three  members  of  the  War 
Board,  were  made  a  committee  to  attend  at  General 
Washington's  headquarters  and  in  concert  with  him 
formulated  a  plan  for  the  purpose  in  view.  Charles 
Carroll  of  Carrollton  went  most  exhaustively  into 
the  matter  remaining  three  months  at  Valley  Forge 
with  Washington.  General  Washington  prepared  a 
letter  of  fifty  pages  embodying  the  views  of  himself 
and  his  officers  and  this  letter  was  brought  to  Con- 


144    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

gress  by  Mr.  Carroll  and  formed  the  basis  of  the 
report  of  this  committee. 

April  21st  Mr.  Carroll  writes  Governor  Johnson 
giving  him  such  information  as  has  come  to  hand  from 
abroad  and  tells  of  the  doing  in  Congress  and  gives 
some  news  from  the  army.  He  also  congratulated  the 
country  on  the  treaty  entered  into  with  France  and  the 
favorable  disposition  shown  by  most  European  states. 
Congress  remained  in  session  till  the  latter  part  of 
June  and  Mr.  Carroll  was  in  his  seat  during  this  part 
of  the  session. 

He  served  on  various  committees  on  supplies  and  in 
regard  to  other  business  affairs. 

Congress  at  this  time  renewed  the  extraordinary 
powers  conferred  on  the  Commander-in-Chief.  These 
powers  were  of  the  broadest  nature  and  empowered 
him  to  use  his  discretion  in  all  things  connected  with 
the  discipline,  subsistence  and  management  of  the 
army.  The  resolutions  extending  these  powers  were 
referred  to  a  committee  consisting  of  Charles  Carroll, 
of  Carrollton,  William  Duer  and  John  Barrister. 

May  6,  Mr.  Carroll  was  on  a  committee  to  consider 
letters  to  the  Board  of  War  and  later  on  another  com 
mittee  to  consider  all  letters  and  papers  in  regard  to 
the  War  sent  to  Congress. 

Mr.  Carroll  served  on  various  committees  during  the 
closing  days  of  the  session,  all  calling  for  constant 
work  and  untiring  vigilance.  Notwithstanding  his 
religious  convictions  he  was  appointed  one  of  a  com 
mittee  of  three  to  consider  the  Representation  of  the 
Bishops  and  Elders  of  the  United  Brethren,  settled  in 
Pennsylvania.  He  gave  this  matter  careful  and 
friendly  consideration  and  prepared  a  report  in 
accordance  with  the  wishes  of  the  United  Brethren. 

After  a  vigorous  discussion  of  the  articles  of  Con 
federation,  these  were  adopted  but  not  before  some 


DEATH  OF  FATHER  AND  WIFE         145 

important  amendments  in  regard  to  public  lands  were 
made. 

Mr.  Carroll  returned  to  his  home  July  2d,  where  a 
great  accumulation  of  private  business  awaited  him 
and  where  many  things  connected  with  the  State 
government  also  needed  his  attention. 

At  the  opening  of  the  Maryland  Senate  in  the  spring 
of  1778  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  was  at  Valley 
Forge,  but  Charles  Carroll,  barrister,  was  in  his  seat 
in  the  Senate.  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton,  however, 
appeared  in  his  place  as  a  Senator  at  the  opening  of 
the  Fall  session,  October  29.  The  duties  at  home  in 
connection  with  the  defense  of  the  province  were  so 
urgent  that  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  resigned  his 
seat  in  Congress.  In  the  State  Senate  he  was,  as 
always,  placed  on  the  most  important  committees. 
The  chief  of  these  was  the  one  to  prepare  instructions 
to  Maryland  delegates  in  Congress.  In  the  earlier 
days  of  our  government  the  States  gave  full  and 
explicit  directions  to  the  delegates  in  Congress  on  all 
important  issues  and  the  delegates  were  expected  to 
vote  according  to  such  instructions. 

Mr.  Carroll  was  placed  on  committees,  on  providing 
for  disabled  soldiers  and  for  augmenting  the  funds  of 
the  national  treasury.  But  the  all  absorbing  question 
still  was  to  the  Articles  of  Confederation  and  the 
knotty  problem  was  as  to  the  handling  of  the  public 
lands. 

There  was  a  good  deal  of  friction  between  the  House 
and  the  Senate  and  frequent  conferences  were  neces 
sary.  The  Senators  were  addressed  as  Your  Honors 
and  the  members  of  the  House  as  Gentlemen.  There 
was  more  or  less  sarcasm  in  these  conference  debates. 

Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  and  Thomas  Jennings 
were  named  to  act  with  a  committee  of  the  House  for 
amending  the  criminal  law  of  the  State. 


146    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

After  resolving  that  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton 
be  authorized  to  revise  and  correct  the  minutes,  the 
Senate  adjourned  to  meet  again  March  9, 1779. 

When  the  Senate  met  in  the  spring  of  1799  the  most 
arduous  work  of  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  was  to 
straighten  out  some  difficulties  in  which  his  friend 
Samuel  Chase  had  plunged.  Mr.  Chase  was  such  an 
ardent  patriot  that  he  could  not  brook  anything  that 
looked  like  conciliation.  So  he  had  denounced  several 
members  of  the  Senate  as  "  traitors  "  because  they 
had  suggested  or  spoken  of  making  terms  with  Great 
Britain.  Having  made  these  charges  outside,  he  was 
called  to  account  in  the  Senate  and  there  repeated 
them,  denouncing  four  or  five  leading  Senators  for 
having  written  letters  or  spoken  in  favor  of  making 
terms.  While  a  resolution  was  pending  Charles  Car 
roll  of  Carrollton  made  a  pleasing  and  quieting 
address  and  succeeded  in  calming  the  tumult. 

An  effort  to  increase  the  pay  of  members  of  the 
House  and  Senate  met  the  vigorous  opposition  of 
Mr.  Carroll  who  succeeded  in  defeating  the  first 
salary  grab  effort  of  which  we  have  any  record. 

Mr.  Carroll  was  made  chairman  of  a  joint  commit 
tee  of  the  Senate  and  House  to  sit  during  recess  and 
review  and  examine  the  accounts  of  the  State. 

After  a  little  more  trouble  of  the  same  kind  between 
the  two  branches  the  body  adjourned  March  25th  but 
was  convened  in  extra  session  by  the  Governor,  July 
15. 

At  the  regular  fall  session  both  the  Charles  Car- 
rolls  were  in  their  seats  and  Daniel  Carroll  was  made 
a  member  of  the  new  council.  Thomas  Sims  Lee  was 
elected  Governor. 

Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  served  on  the  supply 
committee  and  about  this  time  laid  before  the  Senate 
a  petition  by  the  Quakers  asking  certain  concessions. 


DEATH  OP  FATHER  AND  WIFE         147 

An  effort  to  lay  an  embargo  on  grain  was  made  but 
failed  on  a  tie  vote.  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  was 
in  favor  of  it. 

An  effort  to  confiscate  the  property  of  all  British 
owners  was  made  by  the  House  but  the  Carrolls 
thought  it  hasty,  ill  advised  and  unnecessary  at  this 
time.  These  efforts  at  confiscation  were  kept  up  by 
the  House  and  regularly  defeated  by  the  Senate. 
Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  leading  the  opposition. 
In  a  letter  to  Dr.  Franklin,  Mr.  Carroll  says, t '  I  think 
the  measure  impolitic,  contrary  to  the  practice  of 
civilized  nations,  and  it  may  involve  us  in  difficulties 
about  making  peace. ' ' 

Washington  had  learned  with  dismay  of  the  deter 
mination  of  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  to  give  up 
his  seal  in  Congress  and  many  of  his  associates  felt 
the  same  way.  But  Mr.  Carroll  found  it  impossible 
to  satisfactorily  serve  in  both  positions  especially  as 
the  two  legislative  bodies  were  frequently  in  session 
at  the  same  time.  Washington  wrote  deploring 
Mr.  Carroll's  leaving  Congress,  saying  "  His  ideas 
generally  concur  with  mine/'  But  Charles  Carroll  of 
Carrollton  and  most  of  his  immediate  associates  felt 
that  there  was  a  higher  degree  of  honor  and  useful 
ness  in  serving  as  a  Maryland  Senator  than  as  a  dele 
gate  in  Congress. 

In  a  letter  to  Dr.  Franklin  in  Paris  written  Decem 
ber  5,  1779,  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  tells  of  the 
doings  of  the  Maryland  Assembly  and  touches  earn 
estly  on  some  national  affairs. 

Dr.  Franklin  always  gave  great  credit  to  Mr.  Car 
roll  for  his  aid  and  influence  in  bringing  about  and 
maintaining  our  pleasant  and  profitable  relations  with 
France.  These  two  patriots  were  always  in  close 
touch  and  Mr.  Carroll's  knowledge  and  influence  were 
at  the  call  of  his  friend  in  Paris.  In  telling  Dr.  Frank- 


148    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  OABEOLLTON 

lin  of  the  depreciation  of  our  paper  currency,  he 
explains  that  Hyson  tea  sells  at  100s  per  pound  and 
corn  40s  a  barrel. 

The  Maryland  Assembly  met  March  25,  1780, 
Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  was  in  his  seat  in  the 
Senate.  The  friction  between  the  Senate  and  House 
this  time  developed  over  the  election  of  Congressmen, 
but  did  not  prove  serious.  The  confiscation  bill  was 
again  defeated  the  opposition  being  led  by  Charles 
Carroll  of  Carrollton.  The  Assembly  adjourned  May 
15th,  but  was  called  in  extra  session  in  June  when 
resolutions  were  passed  urging  Congress  to  send 
armies  to  the  State  for  her  protection;  and  an  enroll 
ment  of  the  militia  was  ordered. 

At  the  closing  of  this  session  an  address  to  the 
people  of  the  State  was  ordered  and  Charles  Carroll 
of  Carrollton  was  requested  to  prepare  it.  This  he 
did  and  it  was  adopted  by  both  Houses  and  issued  to 
the  people  of  the  State.  The  address  was  a  stirring 
one  closing  with  l  i  The  fall  of  Charleston,  and  the  dis 
tress  of  our  brave  friends  in  that  quarter,  have  infused 
fresh  vigor  into  the  Councils  of  America.  Let  us,  like 
the  Romans  of  old,  draw  new  resources  and  increase 
of  courage  from  defeats  and  manifest  to  the  world 
that  we  are  most  to  be  dreaded  when  most  depressed. " 

When  the  date  for  the  meeting  of  the  Assembly 
October  17  arrived  but  two  Senators  were  on  hand, 
Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  and  Thomas  Stone.  It 
was  November  2d  before  eight  Senators,  making  a 
quorum,  were  present.  On  the  17th  of  November  an 
election  for  members  of  Congress  occurred  and  in  his 
absence  from  the  Senate  he  was  elected  to  the  National 
Congress. 

The  ever  present  confiscation  act  again  came  up 
and  was  again  defeated  under  the  leadership  of  Mr. 
Carroll. 


DEATH  OF  FATHER  AND  WIFE         149 

Mr.  Carroll  was  appointed  on  a  committee  to  com 
municate  with  the  assemblies  of  Delaware  and  Vir 
ginia  to  secure  joint  action  of  the  three  states  in  the 
matter  of  an  embargo  on  grain. 

Maryland  had  invested  £27,000  in  Bank  of  England 
stock,  and  that  institution  had  protested  all  the  drafts 
for  dividends  drawn  since  the  troubles  began.  This 
act  of  the  bank  was  a  strong  argument  in  favor  of 
confiscating  the  property  of  British  people  and  caused 
Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  to  weaken  in  his  oppo 
sition  to  that  measure. 

He  declined  to  return  to  Congress  but  expressed  in 
strong  terms  his  appreciation  of  the  compliment  paid 
him  in  the  election. 

When  the  time  came  for  the  second  session  of  the 
Assembly  May  19th,  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton 
and  three  other  Senators  only  were  present.  A  quo 
rum  was  present  on  the  29th  and  business  proceeded. 
Financial  matters  and  supply  bills  were  the  most 
important  of  the  business  at  hand  and  these  were  dis 
posed  of  after  much  discussion  and  many  amendments. 
The  alliance  with  France  had  been  announced  greatly 
to  the  delight  of  our  people.  In  this  work  Dr.  Franklin 
had  received  constant  and  valuable  aid  from  Mr. 
Carroll,  which  will  be  mentioned  more  in  detail  in 
another  chapter. 

Some  further  revenue  acts  were  passed  and  also  a 
bill  providing  lands  for  the  officers  and  soldiers  who 
served  the  State. 

At  the  opening  session  April  25,  1782,  only  Charles 
Carroll  of  Carrollton  and  Edward  Lloyd  of  Talbot 
were  present  as  Senators,  but  George  Plater  and  Col. 
Richard  Barnes  came  a  day  or  two  later  but  it  was 
not  until  May  10th  that  the  Senate  could  organize  with 
a  quorum. 

In  August,  1781,  Mrs.  Mary  Darnell,  the  mother  of 


150    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

the  wife  of  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  died  at 
Doughoregon  Manor.  This  was  the  first  sorrow  that 
had  come  into  the  life  of  this  active  and  earnest  man. 
He  writes  that i '  Rev.  John  Carroll  came  up  to  conduct 
the  funeral  and  that  the  event  cast  a  cloud  over  them 
all  especially  Mrs.  Carroll." 

In  1780  Eliza,  the  youngest  of  the  seven  children, 
was  born,  who  only  lived  three  years.  The  other  chil 
dren  were  Elizabeth,  Mary,  Louise,  Rachel,  Charles, 
Ann  Brock  and  Catherine.  Charles  was  born  in  1775. 

The  death  of  Mrs.  Darnell  was  soon  followed  by 
other  sorrows  in  the  life  of  this  busy  man.  In  less 
than  a  year  his  father  had  died  and  also  his  wife  and 
both  were  laid  with  Mrs.  Darnell  under  the  chapel. 
Thus  was  he  left  to  pass  fifty  years  of  widowerhood. 

In  a  letter  written  July  9th  he  says  ' '  I  have  had  the 
misfortune  to  lose  my  father  and  wife  within  a  year 
of  each  other.  My  father  died,  the  30th  of  May,  sud 
denly,  and  my  wife  on  the  10th  ultimo  after  a  short 
but  very  painful  illness." 

Mr.  Carroll,  senior,  fell  from  the  porch  of  the  house 
and  the  shock  and  injuries  caused  his  death  and  prob 
ably  hastened  the  end  of  Mrs.  Carroll,  his  daughter-in- 
law. 

But  Charles  Carroll,  senior,  who  had  educated  his 
son  with  such  care  and  faithfulness  and  had  centered 
so  many  hopes  in  his  future,  remained  to  see  that 
son  become  the  most  useful,  most  highly  honored 
and  most  fully  trusted  man  of  Maryland  and  hardly 
second  to  any  in  America.  There  are  few  instances  of 
such  ambition  and  such  hopes  being  so  fully  gratified. 


CHAPTER  XV 

WITH  WASHINGTON  AND  THE  ARMY  AT  VALLEY 
FORGE  —  "  THE  BREWING  OP  A  CONSPIRACY  " 

In  the  fall  of  1777  Washington's  army,  hungry, 
poorly  clad,  and  depressed  in  spirits  was  encamped 
at  White  Marsh,  a  beautiful  spot  some  seven  miles 
from  Philadelphia.  The  army  numbered,  according  to 
the  roll,  about  eleven  thousand  men,  but  winter 
always  depleted  the  ranks  and  the  prospects  which 
the  coming  winter  held  out  were  more  discouraging 
than  ever.  The  Continental  Congress  was  holding  its 
sessions  at  York,  Pa.,  about  sixty  miles  from  Phila 
delphia  by  way  of  the  old  Lancaster  road. 

Mr.  Carroll,  as  a  member  of  the  Maryland  Senate, 
with  important  matters  before  it,  was  kept  in  Annap 
olis  most  of  the  time.  But  he  made  several  trips  to 
York  and  twice  extended  them  to  White  Marsh  to 
confer  with  Washington. 

He  saw  the  conspiracy  which  John  Adams,  Samuel 
Adams,  Dr.  Rush  and  others  were  working  up  and  the 
condition  gave  him  great  concern. 

General  Washington  had  been  contending  with  innu 
merable  difficulties  and  was  himself  well  nigh  discour 
aged.  His  enemies  were  soon  able  to  have  the  War 
Board  strengthened  in  numbers  by  adding  to  it  Gen 
eral  Gates  and  General  Miflin.  Gates  was  made  Presi 
dent  of  the  Board  and  in  a  way  this  made  him  the 
superior  of  General  Washington,  as  Washington,  in 
reporting  to  Congress  through  the  War  Board  had  to 
report  directly  to  Gates.  This  reorganization  of  the 
War  Board,  or  rather  annex  to  the  War  Board,  went 
into  operation  October  17,  and  we  find  Mr.  Carroll 
absenting  himself  from  his  other  duties  to  make  a  visit 

[151] 


152  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

to  Washington  at  White  Marsh.  At  this  time  the 
British  held  Philadelphia  and  General  Howe  and  his 
officers  were  holding  high  jinks  in  the  Quaker  City. 
He  had  plenty  of  supplies  brought  to  him  by  sea  and 
with  coin  to  pay  for  it,  could  get  all  that  the  thrifty 
Pennsylvania  farmers  had  to  sell.  But  few  were  so 
patriotic  as  to  prefer  the  depreciated  paper  currency 
of  the  Colonies  to  the  gold  and  silver  which  the  British 
had  to  spend.  Howe's  troops  were  well  fed,  well 
clothed  and  well  equipped;  and  the  wonder  was  with 
Washington  and  every  one  else  that  he  did  not  take 
a  few  days  off  from  his  hilarities  and  capture  the 
entire  main  army  of  the  Colonies.  Conferences  of  his 
officers  and  with  Mr.  Carroll  as  a  member  of  the  War 
Board  were  held  in  October  and  in  November  and 
preparations  were  made  for  a  new  location  for  winter 
quarters  and  Valley  Forge,  thirteen  miles  away  was 
selected.  Mr.  Carroll  made  three  trips  from  York  to 
White  Marsh  in  his  own  gig  driven  by  the  faithful 
O'Fallon,  who  accompanied  him  in  nearly  all  his 
jaunts.  From  Annapolis  to  York  could  be  made  in 
three  days  and  from  York  to  White  Marsh  or  Valley 
Forge  in  two  days. 

Valley  Forge  was  a  well  sheltered  point  protected 
on  three  sides  by  its  natural  location  from  sudden 
attacks,  and  it  was  the  best  point  from  which  to  inter 
cept  an  attack  on  York  if  Howe  took  it  into  his  head  to 
try  to  capture  the  Continental  Congress.  Weather 
prophets  of  the  locality  foretold  an  early  and  hard 
winter  and  their  prophecies  were  promptly  and  most 
completely  fulfilled.  It  was  out  of  the  question  to 
expect  the  men  to  exist  in  tents  through  the  winter, 
even  if  there  had  been  tents  enough  to  furnish  lodg 
ings.  But  even  tents  were  insufficient  and  ragged. 

Men  were  sent  ahead  and  with  logs  cut  from  the 
forest  constructed  rude  huts,  filling  in  the  crevices 


THE  BREWING  OF  A  CONSPIRACY      153 

between  the  logs  with  clay  or  mud.  December  llth 
was  set  for  moving  the  main  body  of  the  army.  Snow 
had  begun  to  fall  on  December  3d  and  the  route  from 
White  Marsh  to  Valley  Forge  was  marked  by  stains 
of  blood  left  by  the  lacerated  feet  of  the  soldiers  as 
they  trudged  wearily  along.  Accommodations  for 
3,000  or  4,000  men  had  been  constructed  in  advance 
but  this  was  barely  enough  for  the  sick  and  disabled. 
The  men  were  not  only  ragged  but  almost  naked. 
Some  had  a  shirt  and  no  coat,  and  others  only  a  piece 
of  a  shirt  and  wrapped  in  an  old  blanket.  Never 
before  or  since  has  been  seen  anything  called  an  army 
in  such  a  condition.  Washington  blamed  Congress; 
Congress  blamed  the  quartermaster  general  and  the 
soldiers  blamed  everybody.  The  Pennsylvania  legis 
lature  at  this  stage  added  to  the  discourage 
ment  by  passing  a  resolution  protesting  against 
the  army  going  into  winter  quarters  at  Valley 
Forge.  To  this  resolution  Washington  replied,  repri 
manding  Gen.  Mifflin  of  Pennsylvania,  the  quarter 
master  general,  and  said,  "  for  the  want  of  two  days' 
supply  of  provisions  an  opportunity  scarcely  ever 
offered  of  taking  advantage  of  the  enemy  that  has  not 
been  either  totally  obstructed  or  greatly  impeded. 
Men  are  confined  in  hospitals  or  in  farmers'  houses 
for  want  of  shoes.  We  have  this  day  (Dec.  23)  no 
less  than  2,873  men  in  camp  unfit  for  duty  because  they 
are  barefooted  and  otherwise  naked.  Our  whole 
strength  in  continental  troops  amounts  to  no  more 
than  8,200  men  fit  for  duty.  Since  the  4th  instant  our 
numbers  fit  for  duty,  from  hardships  and  exposures, 
have  decreased  nearly  2,000  men.  Numbers  are  still 
obliged  to  sit  all  night  by  fires.  Gentlemen  reprobate 
going  into  winter  quarters  as  if  they  thought  the  sol 
diers  were  made  of  sticks  and  stones.  I  can  assure 
these  gentlemen  that  it  is  much  easier  and  less  dis- 


154  CHAELES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

tressing  to  draw  remonstrances  in  a  comfortable  room 
by  a  good  fireside,  than  to  occupy  a  cold,  bleak  hill,  and 
sleep  under  frost  and  snow  without  clothes  or  blan 
kets.  However,  although  they  seem  to  have  little  feel 
ing  for  the  naked  and  the  distressed  soldiers,  I  feel 
superabundantly  for  them,  and  from  my  soul  I  pity 
those  miseries  which  it  is  neither  in  my  power  to 
relieve  nor  prevent."  This  condition  was  brought 
about  partly  by  blundering  incompetency,  and  partly 
as  the  result  of  the  conspiracy  to  supersede  Washing 
ton  as  commander-in-chief,  with  General  Gates. 
Gates  had  found  himself  a  hero  as  the  result  of  the 
surrender  of  Burgoyne,  a  success  for  which  he  was 
less  responsible  than  either  Morgan  or  Benedict 
Arnold.  But  being  the  commander  he  was  made  the 
recipient  of  all  the  credit  and  was  a  natural  figure  on 
which  the  discontents  at  Washington  could  center. 
Gen.  Mifflin,  being  on  the  Board  of  War,  as  well  as 
having  been  made  quartermaster  general,  was  in  a 
position  where  his  blunders  or  his  treachery  would 
work  to  the  disadvantage  of  General  Washington  and 
his  suffering  army.  It  is  said  that  there  were  thou 
sands  of  cases  of  shoes  and  quantities  of  clothing  and 
equipments  brought  from  France,  then  resting  in 
warehouses  because  Mifflin  and  the  new  quarter 
master  's  department  had  not  seen  to  their  distribu 
tion. 

General  Washington  occupied  a  farm  house  as  his 
headquarters  and  to  this  Mr.  Carroll  came  on  his  visits 
to  the  commander-in-chief. 

Washington  was  criticized  in  and  out  of  Congress 
for  not  attacking  Howe,  who  with  20,000  well  clothed, 
well  nourished,  well  equipped  and  well-trained  men 
rested  complacently  in  Philadelphia.  It  was  Fabian 
and  unexplicable  to  men  like  John  Adams  and  others 
that  Washington  with  his  7,000  barefooted,  hungry, 


THE  BREWING  OF  A  CONSPIRACY      155 

shivering  men  could  not  march  on  and  capture  this 
army  of  20,000. 

The  loyalty,  faithfulness  and  unflinching  patriotism 
of  this  ragged  and  suffering  army  can  never  be  over 
estimated.  A  cordial  reception;  food,  clothes  and 
money  in  Philadelphia  awaited  any  who  would  desert 
and  return  to  the  British  allegiance.  To  their  credit  it 
is  recorded  that  the  desertions  were  very  few,  and 
these  were  nearly  all  by  foreigners  who  had  no  special 
interest  in  the  cause.  Americans  and  Irish  to  a  man 
remained  faithful  in  spite  of  temptation.  They  had 
an  abiding  faith  in  Washington  and  in  the  ultimate 
result  of  their  struggles. 

The  faction  in  Congress  that  was  opposed  to  Gen 
eral  Washington  was  made  up  of  the  same  men  that 
denounced  the  French  alliance.  In  fact  men  like 
Samuel  Adams,  John  Adams  and  others  of  their 
clique  were  about  as  suspicious  of,  and  as  much 
opposed  to  aid  from  France  as  were  the  Loyalists. 
John  Adams,  while  in  Paris,  had  quarreled  with  Ver- 
gennes  and  in  other  blundering  ways  had  made  the 
work  of  Franklin  much  harder.  All  these  men  made 
Washington,  Carroll,  and  Franklin  the  special  objects 
of  their  spite. 

During  Mr.  Carroll's  many  visits  to  the  army  and 
his  serious  consideration  of  the  difficulties  the  patriots 
had  to  meet,  he  and  Washington  discussed  earnestly 
the  fact  of  a  want  of  proper  military  training  and  drill. 
Strange  as  it  may  seem  the  army  was  in  total  ignor 
ance  of  the  rules  and  maneuvers  of  war.  Mr.  Carroll 
saw  this  condition  and  the  possibilities  growing  out  of 
it,  and  this  was  constantly  emphasized  by  Col.  Tilgh- 
man,  the  military  secretary  of  General  Washington. 
Tilghman  said  "  not  one  of  the  men  is  a  soldier  till 
he  puts  his  gun  to  his  shoulder  and  then  he's  a 
wonder, "  and  strangest  of  all  there  was  no  man  to 


156  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

drill  them.  The  few  men  capable  were  above  accept 
ing  the  post  of  drillmaster.  In  this  dilemma  Tilgh- 
more  was  directed  to  write  to  France  hoping  to  get  the 
right  man.  The  country  was  overrun  with  French 
officers  willing  to  be  major  generals  and  clamoring 
about  their  rank  in  the  French  army,  but  there  was 
none  among  them  suited  to  the  job  in  hand,  who 
would  take  it.  Tilghman  wrote  to  the  ever  ready 
Beaumarchais. 

The  right  man  was  found  in  Steuben.  He  had  no 
great  desire  to  come  and  besides  was  only  a  Colonel. 
To  properly  impress  Congress  and  secure  him  such 
an  appointment  as  was  necessary  more  than  a  Colonel 
must  be  found.  In  the  colonies  Colonels  were  as  plenty 
as  blacksmiths  and  generally  not  half  as  useful. 
Beaumarchais  had  got  the  French  court  deeply  inter 
ested  in  the  effort.  So  Steuben  was  made  a  Lieutenant 
General  of  the  Margraviate  of  Baden,  and  with  this 
title  as  an  endorsement  he  was  induced  to  sail  for 
America.  He  had  been  with  Frederick  the  Great,  and 
had  received  the  training,  and  had  imbibed  the  dis 
cipline  of  the  Prussian  Army.  It  was  also  necessary 
that  he  should  come  as  an  enthusiastic  patriot  like 
LaFayette.  He  was  induced  to  meet  all  these  require 
ments  and  he  did  so  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  French 
and  American  associates.  Congress  agreed  to  make 
him  Inspector  General  of  the  Army.  He  proved  to  be 
all  that  had  been  looked  for  in  such  a  capacity.  He 
was  most  indefatigable  and  successful  in  drilling  the 
men ;  and  though  his  indifferent  English,  and  his  ges 
ticulations  were  amusing  to  the  men,  they  caught  his 
ideas  and  quickly  profited  by  his  instructions.  He 
formed  the  officers  into  squads,  took  the  musket  into 
his  own  hands  and  had  the  officers  do  the  same  as  he 
taught  them  the  manual  of  arms  as  used  in  the  army 
of  Prussia.  He  soon  had  squads  of  fine  drill  masters 


THE  BREWING  OF  A  CONSPIRACY      157 

and  the  army  right  quickly  began  to  show  the  effect 
of  his  laborious  efforts.  This  drilling  and  training  of 
the  men  began  in  early  spring.  Mr.  Carroll  spent  the 
entire  time  from  late  in  February  till  nearly  the  first 
of  May  with  the  army.  He  saw  the  result  on  the  men ; 
both  in  exhilaration  of  spirits  and  in  the  increased 
efficiency  shown.  Young  Tilghman  was  delighted,  and 
as  he  was  from  Mr.  Carroll's  state  and  a  close  rela 
tive  of  one  of  his  co-workers  in  the  senate  Mr.  Carroll 
was  pleased  also  on  his  account.  General  Washington, 
who  always  shared  confidences  with  his  fellow  officers, 
and  gave  due  weight  to  all  their  suggestions  was 
pleased  at  his  enthusiasm  and  gave  due  credit  to 
Colonel  Tilghman  for  having  so  earnestly  urged  the 
bringing  over  of  such  a  man  as  Steuben.  One  of 
Steuben 's  main  troubles  was  in  the  pronunciation  of 
his  name.  Steuben  raved  at  having  his  name  pro 
nounced  as  spelled  and  did'nt  like  the  accent  on  the 
last  syllable.  "  He  would  say  I  am  not  a  Stew  nor  yet 
a  Ben  "  and  then  he  would  pronounce  it  as  if  it  were 
spelled  "  Stoiban  "  with  accent  on  the  "  Stoi."  But 
it  was  no  use ;  to  the  soldiers  ' '  Steuben  ' '  he  was  and 
"  Steuben  "  he  remained. 

Mr.  Carroll  arrived  at  Vally  Forge  a  couple  of  days 
in  advance  of  Steuben  and  was  on  hand  to  help  receive 
him.  His  proficiency  in  the  French  and  German 
languages  made  him  useful  in  presenting  the  new 
comer  to  his  comrades,  and  in  explaining  conditions 
so  novel  to  the  European  as  to  make  them  almost  inex 
plicable.  But  Steuben  was  likable  and  pleasing  in  all 
things.  He  took  in  the  situation  and  at  once  went 
enthusiastically  at  his  work. 

About  the  time  of  the  arrival  of  Steuben  and  Mr. 
Carroll  at  Valley  Forge  a  condition  arose  which  gave 
General  Washington  great  concern.  He  was  a  man 
with  a  keen  sense  of  justice  and  shrunk  from  exercis- 


158    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

ing  an  arbitrary  power  to  the  loss  of  some  one  else. 
He  was  clothed  by  Congress  with  authority  to  seize 
food  and  to  exercise  such  power  as  might  be  necessary 
in  providing  for  the  needs  of  the  army;  but  always 
hesitated  about  exercising  that  arbitrary  power.  But 
now  food  was  absolutely  necessary.  The  Pennsyl 
vania  farmers  were  not  only  Loyalists  to  a  great 
extent  but,  the  gold  and  silver  of  Howe  was  too  much 
of  a  temptation  to  be  ignored.  So  with  only  paper 
money  to  offer,  his  quartermasters  could  not  secure 
provisions  of  any  kind  from  the  farmers.  Under  these 
circumstances  detachments  were  sent  out  in  every 
direction  and  scoured  the  country  for  food.  They 
found  enough  to  meet  pressing  requirements  much  to 
the  disgust  of  the  thrifty  farmers  who  were  smuggling 
it  to  Howe  whenever  opportunity  offered. 

While  actual  sufferings  were  being  so  heroically 
endured  at  Valley  Forge  the  officers  were  constantly 
regaled  with  stories  of  the  regal  entertainments  Howe 
and  his  officers  were  giving.  With  supplies  in  profu 
sion  from  abroad,  the  wine  cellars  of  rich  Philadel- 
phians  at  his  command,  and  the  farmers  bringing  in 
their  produce,  the  British  in  Philadelphia  were  enjoy 
ing  the  best  that  two  continents  could  afford,  and  they 
capped  the  climax  of  festivities  in  May  by  giving  the 
"  Mischianza,"  a  great  pagent  and  regatta  during  the 
day  and  a  ball  at  night.  Lurid  accounts  of  their 
doings  reached  the  patriots  in  Valley  Forge  and  did 
not  tend  to  make  them  more  contented.  But  they  did 
enjoy  one  big  piece  of  news.  On  the  very  day  the 
British  officers,  twenty-two  miles  away,  were  cele 
brating  "  the  Mischianza  "  Washington  received  the 
news  of  the  signing  of  the  treaty  with  France.  The 
ragged  and  tattered  troops  under  directions  of  the 
assiduous  Steuben  were  paraded  and  as  they  dis 
played  their  newly  acquired  efficiency  in  drill  they 


THE  BBEWING  OF  A  CONSPIRACY     159 

received  the  announcement  of  the  good  news  from 
Paris.  The  French  officers,  of  whom  there  were  many 
in  camp,  headed  by  young  LaFayette,  received  the 
thanks,  good  wishes  and  congratulations  of  the  Ameri 
can  officers  and  the  men  cheered  and  cried  out  "  Long 
live  the  King  of  France,"  "  long  live  the  Friendly 
Powers  of  Europe,"  and  the  French  officers  echoed 
back  "  long  live  the  United  States  of  America  "  and 
"  Long  live  General  Washington,  the  Commander- 
in-Chief  of  their  forces."  Mr.  Carroll  who  had 
returned  to  his  seat  in  Congress  at  York  missed  this 
scene  but  he  had  full  accounts  of  it  in  letters  from 
his  friends. 


Hon.   JOHX   LEE   CARROLL 
Governor  of  Maryland  in  1876 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE  CONWAY  CABAL.  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CAR- 
ROLLTON  FOILS  THE  CONSPIRACY  TO  DISPLACE 
WASHINGTON 

In  order  to  give  a  more  connected  idea  of  the  troubles 
which  Mr.  Carroll  and  the  other  friends  of  Washington 
had  been  encountering  it  is  necessary  to  go  back  a 
little  and  repeat  some  of  the  things  already  told.  The 
conspiracy  against  Washington  had  been  seething 
since  sometime  before  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne,  but 
that  event  so  upset  Gates  that  a  new  and  powerful 
impetus  was  given  and  by  reason  of  the  connection  of 
Gen.  Conway,  an  Irish  officer,  with  the  affair,  it  came 
to  be  called  '  '  The  Conway  Cabal ' '  and  it  is  so  known 
in  history  though  Conway  was  one  of  the  least  import 
ant  of  the  conspirators. 

The  "  Conway  Cabal,"  which  gathered  together  all 
the  discontents  and  reckless  ambitions  of  the  army, 
was  one  of  the  most  formidable  attempts  ever  made 
to  destroy  a  public  man.  The  complaint  against 
Washington  was  that  he  was  slow,  dull  and  heavy; 
and  that  he  was  incompetent  for  any  military  com 
mand;  and  it  was  re-enforced  by  the  clamor  and  the 
plots  of  such  men  as  Gates,  Adams,  Rush  and  Mifflin. 
This  kind  of  opposition  followed  him  in  a  nagging 
way  all  through  the  Eevolution. 

Gates  was  so  elated  over  his  success  in  the  capture 
of  Burgoyne;  or  rather  over  the  success  —  for  credit 
belonged  less  to  him  than  to  the  commanders  under 
him;  that  he  determined  to  ignore  Washington  en- 
en  ti  rely.  Instead  of  reporting  to  the  commander-in- 
chief  he  sent  this  message  direct  to  Congress,  "  With 

[161] 

6 


162  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

an  army  in  health,  vigor  and  spirits  Major  General 
Gates  now  awaits  the  commands  of  the  honorable 
Congress, ' '  and  Congress  in  spite  of  the  efforts  of  the 
friends  and  supporters  of  Washington  appointed 
Gates  to  regain  the  forts  and  passes  on  the  Hudson 
River  which  Washington  had  already  regained  by 
pressing  Howe  so  closely  that  he  had  been  compelled 
to  evacuate  them.  Gates  refused  to  obey  Washington 
and  send  his  now  unnecessary  troops  to  reinforce  the 
main  army.  Even  Congress  refused  permission  for 
Washington  to  withdraw  more  than  2,500  troops 
from  Gates,  and  those  Gates  refused  to  send  for  some 
time,  even  after  Hamilton  had  gone  north  and  made  a 
personal  appeal.  A  motion  was  made  in  Congress 
that  he  should  not  detach  any  troops  except  with  the 
permission  of  Gates.  Both  John  Adams  and  Samuel 
Adams  and  some  six  others  of  the  clique  voted  for  it, 
but  men  like  Carroll,  Morris  and  Chase  were  able  to 
defeat  it. 

The  Maryland  delegates  in  Congress  had  been  in 
structed  to  urge  the  confederation  of  the  Colonies  and 
after  much  friction  and  many  difficulties  this  was 
accomplished  on  November  15,  1777.  Mr.  Carroll  had 
come  up  for  his  conference  with  Washington  to  take 
part  in  this  effort.  Questions  of  taxation,  public  lands, 
rights  of  state  had  to  be  fought  out  and  were  fought 
out  in  a  way  that  laid  a  permanent  foundation  for  the 
more  stable  union  that  followed.  Mr.  Carroll  had 
early  imbibed  those  principles  that  called  for  a  strong 
federal  government;  and  that  made  him  a  staunch 
Federalist  after  the  first  division  into  parties  came. 
This  alliance  of  the  great  Marylander  was  one  of 
principle  entirely,  for  his  friendships  and  personal 
feeling  were  much  more  for  the  people  that  opposed 
the  Federalists.  One  close  to  Mr.  Carroll  said  that  he 
despised  John  Adams,  while  admiring  his  principles ; 


FOILS  THE  CONSPIRACY  163 

and  he  admired  Jefferson,  while  despising  his  princi 
ples.  A  kind  of  government  was  formed  by  these  arti 
cles  of  confederation,  but  it  was  a  government  without 
vitality  or  force.  It  could  not  levy  a  tax,  raise  a 
soldier,  or  keep  its  engagements  with  foreign  powers. 
But  it  was  a  beginning ;  a  frail  one,  it  is  true ;  but  the 
beginning  of  a  governmental  structure  nevertheless. 
Mr.  Carroll  was  one  of  those  who  bemoaned  its  weak 
ness,  but  accepted  it  as  the  best  that  could  be  secured. 

Having  given  his  time  to  Congress  when  it  seemed 
absolutely  necessary  to  do  so,  Mr.  Carroll  was  ap 
pointed  on  a  committee  to  visit  Valley  Forge  and 
confer  with  Washington  as  to  the  work  of  reorganiz 
ing  the  army.  The  committee  was  made  up  mainly 
of  Washington's  friends.  When  this  committee  was 
appointed  the  conspiracies  against  Washington  were 
seething.  There  was  one  suggestion  that  Congress 
should  send  a  committee  of  officers  to  Valley  Forge 
with  orders  to  arrest  Washington,  depose  him  from 
command,  and  bring  him  as  a  prisoner  before  Con 
gress.  The  conspirators  had  counted  their  supporters 
and  felt  they  were  about  even,  when  the  arrival  of 
Gouverneur  Morris  put  them  in  a  minority.  The 
story  is  told  that  before  going  to  Valley  Forge  Dr. 
Benjamin  Rush  said  to  Mr.  Carroll,  "  so  you  are 
going  to  Valley  Forge  to  look  into  the  conduct  of 
Washington.  I  hope  you  will  feel  that  he  ought  to  be 
deposed. " 

"  I  shall  not/'  answered  Mr.  Carroll.  "  Is'nt  that 
rendering  a  verdict  before  you  have  heard  the  testi 
mony,  "  asked  Rush. 

"  It  is,  and  I  have  "  answered  the  friend  of  Wash 
ington.  Then  Rush  went  on, t '  But  it  may  be  necessary 
to  put  a  man  like  Gen.  Gates  at  the  head  of  the  army. 
If  so  I  hope  he  would  receive  the  same  loyal  support 
from  you  that  you  have  given  to  Gen.  Washington." 


164    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

Mr.  Carroll  then  said,  deliberately  and  weighing  his 
words  carefully,  "  In  that  case  I  should  wash  my 
hands  of  the  whole  affair  and  retire  to  private  life. 
I  would  leave  this  country  or  not  as  circumstances 
required;  but  I  would  have  nothing  more  to  do  with 
this  cause.*' 

Everything  possible  had  been  done  and  was  being 
done  to  nag  and  annoy  Washington  into  resigning. 
He  repeatedly  said  that  if  there  was  a  demand  by  the 
people  for  him  to  retire  from  the  position  he  had  not 
sought,  and  which  had  been  fraught  with  labor,  care, 
anxiety  and  hardship,  he  would  gladly  resign ;  but  he 
would  not  retire  in  the  face  of  a  factional  opposition. 

While  he  was  facing  Howe  at  White  Marsh  and 
driving  back  a  well  equipped,  well  fed,  well  disciplined 
army  of  twice  his  numbers  with  his  ragged,  foot  sore 
and  sick  band  of  Continentals  and  trying  to  secure 
them  the  possibilities  of  mere  existence  through  the 
winter,  he  was  facing  the  opposition  of  the  Pennsyl 
vania  legislature,  the  careless  improvidence  of  a 
treacherous  quartermaster  general,  and  the  work  of 
this  band  of  conspirators  in  the  Congress  at  York. 
Little  wonder  that  he  and  his  friends  were  well  nigh 
discouraged. 

General  Conway  was  an  Irish  officer  serving  with 
the  French.  He  had  grown  up  in  France,  been  edu 
cated  there  and  had  attained  high  rank  in  the  French 
army.  But  he  was  one  of  the  host  that  came  over 
seeking  high  commissions  and  important  commands. 
He  wrote  Congress  almost  demanding  a  promotion 
to  a  Major  Generalship.  Mr.  Carroll  on  the  floor  of 
Congress  opposed  the  promotion  and  denounced  Con- 
way  in  strong  terms.  The  effort  to  supplant  Wash 
ington  was  then  well  under  way  and  Mr.  Carroll 
seeing  in  this  attempted  promotion  of  Conway  a  move 
of  the  conspirators  defeated  it.  The  following  letter 


FOILS  THE  CONSPIRACY  165 

from  Conway  to  Carroll  is  on  file  in  the  State  Depart 
ment  and  shows  Conway 's  bitterness  towards  the 
friend  of  Washington. 

To  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  — 

The  Congress,  York,  Pa. 

Sir. —  This  day  I  have  sent  my  resignation  to 
Congress.  Seven  weeks  ago  several  gentlemen 
wrote  to  me  from  the  seat  of  Congress,  mention 
ing  the  extraordinary  discourses  held  by  you, 
Sir,  by  Mr.  Lovell,  Mr.  Duer,  and  some  other 
members  on  account  of  my  applying  for  the  rank 
of  major  general.  If  I  had  barkened  to  well 
grounded  resentment,  I  should  have  undoubtedly 
have  left  the  army  instantly.  But  my  delicacy 
pointed  out  to  me  to  continue  in  the  army  until 
the  end  of  the  campaign;  this  I  have  done.  I 
look  upon  the  campaign  as  finished,  for  I  am 
pretty  clear  that  since  the  enemy  is  reinforced, 
and  has  had  time  to  secure  his  front  with  a 
double  line  of  fortifications,  nothing  can  be  at 
tempted  with  any  degree  of  safety,  propriety,  or 
appearance  of  success.  Now,  Sir,  I  will  under 
take  to  show  that  my  request  of  being  made  a 
major  general  had  nothing  in  it  so  unreasonable 
as  to  cause  your  astonishment,  and  the  most  dis 
obliging  reflections,  thrown  by  you,  Sir,  and 
other  members  of  Congress. 

Of  all  the  French  officers  who  came  to  this  con 
tinent,  I  am  the  most  advanced  in  rank,  and  the 
only  field  officer  bearing  rank  in  actual  service. 
Chevalier  De  Barre  was  a  lieutenant  colonel  in 
1757 ;  he  was  thanked  in  1761 ;  if  he  had  continued 
in  service  he  would  be  now  a  major  general  in  the 
French  army,  and  mentioned  in  Military  Kalendar, 
which  is  printed  every  year,  and  wherein  every 
officer  bearing  rank,  from  the  Marechal  of  France 
to  the  last  sub-lieutenant,  is  carefully  mentioned. 
Baron  De  Kalb  got  a  commission  of  lieutenant 
colonel,  and  left  the  army  in  1762.  If  he  had  been 


166  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

continued  in  service  and  had  borne  a  rank  in  our 
army,  he  would  be  in  the  center  of  our  brigadiers, 
but  I  am  very  certain  that  you  will  find  neither  of 
these  gentlemen  in  the  Kalendar,  because  they 
have  no  rank  in  the  army,  and,  indeed,  did  not 
interfere  with  it  these  sixteen  years  past. 

"  I  am  told  that  Baron  De  Kalb  had  a  brevet  of 
of  brigadier  from  the  Minister  of  the  Navy,  such 
as  was  obtained  by  Mr.  Ducoudray  and  some  of 
his  officers.  Whether  he  had  or  not,  I  am  still 
certain  that  this  brevet  cannot  give  him  the  rank 
over  me  in  the  French  army,  because  there  has 
never  been  an  instance  of  it  in  our  service.  I 
always  appeal  to  the  Military  French  Kalendar, 
which  is  the  true  standard  of  rank.  It  was  in  order 
to  guard  against  those  sham  brevets,  for  which  I 
understood  that  some  people  were  applying,  that 
I  made  with  Mr.  Deane  the  only  condition  which 
is  to  be  found  in  my  agreement.  The  condition 
was  that  no  officer  who  had  not  an  equal  rank 
with  me  in  actual  service  should  be  put  over  me. 
Mr.  Deane  promised  it  to  me,  and  told  me,  in 
taking  me  by  the  hand,  that  I  was  the  only 
gentleman  who  had  not  taken  advantage  of  his 
present  situation. 

He  directed  me  to  encourage  and  bring  over 
some  officers  of  the  Irish  Brigades.  I  got  one 
hundred  and  sixty  guineas  for  that  purpose.  I 
gave  eighty-four  guineas  to  two  officers  who 
came  over  with  me,  and  whose  receipts  I  can 
produce.  Seventy-six  guineas  I  sent  to  four 
officers  of  the  Irish  Brigade,  who  were  pre 
vented  from  embarking  on  account  of  the 
noise  made  about  the  Amphitrite.  I  charged 
nothing  for  myself,  although  my  expences  to  come 
to  this  country  amounted  to  above  one  hundred 
and  twenty  guineas;  although  I  am  now  in  the 
case  of  selling  my  effects  in  order  to  reach  some 
seaport.  But  I  will  not  dwell  upon  the  article  of 
cash.  After  Mr.  Ducoudray  had  left  me  in  Port 
Lorient  last  January,  I  got  charge  of  the  Amphi 
trite,  and  of  the  letters  for  Congress,  which  letters 


FOILS  THE  CONSPIRACY  167 

I  delivered  to  Colonel  Langdon  upon  my  landing 
at  Portsmouth.  The  captain  of  the  Amphitrite 
had  positive  orders  to  sail  for  St.  Domingo,  and 
the  Commissary  of  the  Navy  Board  at  Port 
Lorient  had  made  him  sign  a  formal  promise  not 
to  come  to  this  continent.  He  was  determined 
to  follow  his  orders;  in  order  to  make  him  alter 
his  determination,  I  gave  him  a  certificate  by 
which  I  acknowledged  that  by  violence  I  com 
pelled  him  to  infringe  the  King's  positive  orders, 
and  steer  for  this  continent.  The  captain  is  now 
in  possession  of  the  certificate.  If  France  does 
not  take  an  active  part  or  a  public  one  in  the 
present  contest,  the  captain  of  the  Amphitrite, 
which  ship  has  caused  such  loud  complaints  from 
Lord  Stormont,  will  be  brought  to  account  for 
disobedience;  he  will  have  my  certificate  to  pro 
duce;  I  may  fall  a  sacrifice  to  policy,  lose  my 
rank,  and  the  prospect  of  speedy  promotion  in 
France,  and  the  fruits  of  thirty  years'  constant 
service. 

At  my  arrival  here  M.  De  Barre,  my  inferior 
in  rank,  who  got  six  hundred  thousand  livres  in 
France,  was  made  a  brigadier,  and  paid  as  such 
from  the  month  of  December,  when  I  was 
appointed  the  last  brigadier  of  the  army.  After 
the  battle  of  Brandywine,  Baron  De  Kalb,  also 
my  inferior,  who  got  about  a  thousand  pounds 
here  or  in  France,  was  a  major  general.  If  I 
patiently  bore  such  repeated  wrongs,  it  might  be 
concluded  in  France  that  I  misbehaved;  and 
indeed  the  Congress  instead  of  looking  upon  me 
as  an  officer  who  enjoyed  some  esteem  and  reputa 
tion  in  the  French  infantry,  must  take  me  for  a 
vagabond  who  flew  here  to  get  bread.  I  thank 
God  that  neither  one  nore  the  other  is  the  case. 
I  came  over  here  because  I  liked  the  cause  and 
like  it  still;  because  I  was  often  and  warmly 
invited  by  Mr.  Deane.  My  candid  way  of  acting 
with  him  will  testify  it.  As  to  my  behaviour  I 
appeal  to  the  army. 


168    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

The  French  gentleman  told  me,  Sir,  that  you 
asked  in  a  most  despising  manner  what  I  had 
done.  Indeed,  I  must  confess  that  I  did  not  do 
all  that  I  wish  to  have  done,  but  I  hope  I  have  done 
as  much  as  left  in  my  power.  As  I  am  not 
acquainted  with  your  gazette  writers,  I  must  tell 
you  that  upon  my  arrival  in  camp  I  was  night 
and  day  employed  in  writing  instructions  con 
cerning  the  camp,  the  outguards,  the  orders  of 
marches,  of  which  I  found  not  the  least  notion  in 
this  army.  Part  of  those  instructions  was  fol 
lowed,  the  greatest  part  was  not;  this  is  not  my 
fault.  I  wrote  several  plans  about  the  economical 
administration  of  this  army  where  I  saw  many 
striking  abuses.  I  am  confident  that  this  army 
is  sufficient  (if)  not  to  ruin,  at  least  to  distress 
the  continent,  whereas,  it  could  be  kept  upon  a 
flourishing  footing  in  saving  one-third  part  of  the 
money  spent  upon  it.  As  (it)  seems  I  have  not 
been  understood,  at  least  I  saw  no  alteration  for 
the  better. 

At  the  Short  Hills  I  was  first  ready,  and  first 
attacked,  drew  up  my  brigade  in  battle,  stopped 
the  enemy,  and  made  my  retreat  without  Cunning, 
and  without  losing  a  single  prisoner.  The  other 
brigade  had  been  attacked  an  hour  after  mine, 
and  I  think  I  had  given  it  full  time  to  retreat. 
At  Brandywine  my  brigade  remained  the  last 
upon  the  ground,  and  though  I  had  been  aban 
doned  pretty  early  by  the  brigades  of  the  right 
and  left,  my  brigade  continued  fighting  until  it 
was  flanked  on  both  sides  by  the  enemy.  That 
same  brigade  was  the  first  or  rather  the  only 
brigade  that  rallied  to  oppose  the  enemy's  pur 
suit,  when  for  want  of  ammunition  it  was  ordered 
to  be  relieved  at  the  close  of  the  evening  by  a 
French  brigade  which  had  not  yet  been  engaged. 
At  Germantown,  with  little  better  than  four  hun 
dred  men,  I  began  the  attack,  and  was  fighting 
three-quarters  of  an  hour  before  any  individual 
came  to  support  me. 


FOILS  THE  CONSPIRACY  169 

You  asked  upon  what  grounds  I  could  call 
for  the  rank  of  major  general.  Because  I  can 
be  more  useful  at  the  head  of  a  division  than  at 
the  head  of  a  small  brigade.  Because  in  my 
young  days  I  had  a  larger  command  before  the 
enemy  than  what  I  have  had  in  your  army. 
Because  being  those  twenty  years  constantly 
studying  military  operations,  having  traveled 
through  Europe  to  take  a  view  of  the  different 
armies,  having  been  lately  employed  in  making 
out  a  set  of  field  manoeuvers,  having  practiced 
and  tried  said  manoeuvres  last  year  in  the 
presence  of  several  experienced  generals,  both 
German  and  French,  I  thought  myself  more 
qualified  to  command  a  division  than  such  major 
generals  who  had  never  seen  a  line  of  battle  as 
they  confess  themselves,  before  Brandywine  and 
and  as  it  too  well  appeared. 

It  was  for  want  of  knowledge  and  practice 
in  forming  the  lines  that  Brandywine  was  partly 
lost.  I  can  assign  many  other  reasons  for  the  loss 
of  that  battle.  It  was  for  want  of  forming  the 
line  and  of  manoeuvering  that  we  miscarried  at 
Germantown,  our  left  wing,  composed  of  the 
largest  part  of  our  army,  having  lost  near  an 
hour  in  an  useless  counter  march,  as  it  appears 
by  the  several  testimonies  given  at  a  court-mar 
tial  now  sitting,  of  which  I  am  a  member.  I  am 
far  from  thinking  myself  a  general,  but  I  believe 
that  after  having  studied  and  practiced  this  trade 
steadily  during  almost  all  my  life,  I  may  venture 
to  say  that  I  know  somewhat  more  of  it  than  the 
brave,  honest  men  who  never  made  it  their  busi 
ness.  I  have  much  regard  for  Baron  De  Kalb 
and  think  that  the  continent  has  made  in  him  the 
acquisition  of  a  good  officer,  but  I  can  venture  to 
say  that  I  have  gone  through  and  seen  at  least  as 
much  service  as  he  did. 

This  letter,  Sir,  if  you  have  patience  to  read 
it,  will  convince  you  that  my  request  of  being 
made  a  major  general  was  not  altogether  as  imper 
tinent  as  you,  sire,  and  other  gentlemen  have 


170  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

styled  it.  I  was  much  surprised  at  the  reflections 
which  you  made  upon  the  subject,  as  I  am  con 
scious  that  I  have  done  nothing  in  my  life  that 
could  make  me  contemptible  in  the  eyes  of  any 
honest  man.  I  suppose  that  your  strange  opinion 
of  me  originates  from  the  misfortune  I  have  of 
not  being  better  known  to  you.  However,  I  shall 
always  cherish  the  cause  I  have  fought  for,  and 
shall  be  very  happy  to  hear  of  its  success. 
I  am,  with  much  regard,  Sir, 

Your  obedient,  humble  servant, 

T.  CONWAY. 

As  is  usual  in  such  cases  Mr.  Carroll  was  constantly 
reminded  of  the  religion  of  Conway  and  support  of 
the  man  asked  on  that  account.  But  such  appeals  had 
no  effect  on  a  patriot  like  Mr.  Carroll.  They  were 
usually  made  too,  by  men  who  had  no  sympathy  with 
the  religious  faith  of  the  great  signer. 

The  movement  to  reorganize  the  War  Board  or 
rather  to  name  an  annex  to  it  with  General  Gates  as 
President  was  made  while  Mr.  Carroll  was  in  attend 
ance  on  the  Maryland  Senate.  They  did  not  dare  go 
as  far  as  to  supplant  him  but  sought  to  make  his 
efforts  less  effective,  by  increasing  the  size  of  the 
board  and  making  General  Gates  the  President.  The 
scope  of  this  annex  or  new  membership  was  not  very 
clearly  defined.  But  Gates  and  Mifflin,  the  two  mili 
tary  members,  were  stoutly  against  Washington.  Mr. 
Carroll  got  to  York  on  the  day  that  Congress  was  dis 
cussing  the  matter  of  reorganizing  the  army.  He  saw 
that  the  chief  end  of  this  reorganization  was  to  injure 
Washington.  Instead  of  opposing  it  he  fell  in  with 
the  idea  of  a  committee  to  go  to  Valley  Forge  and 
study  the  conditions  and  learn  the  requirements.  This 
committee  was  appointed  and  of  course  Mr.  Carroll 
headed  it,  and  he  secured  a  committee  mainly  friendly 
to  his  views. 


FOILS  THE  CONSPIRACY  171 

It  was  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  this  com 
mittee  that  he  spent  so  much  time  at  Vally  Forge 
during  the  winter. 

General  Conway  after  his  disappointment  at  not 
being  promoted  rallied  the  discontents  and  took  change 
of  the  effort  to  have  Gates  supplant  Washington.  But 
he  had  not  the  discretion  of  the  others.  Success 
depended  on  keeping  the  matter  from  reaching  Wash 
ington  till  the  plans  were  further  matured.  Conway 
talked,  gesticulated  and  shrugged  his  shoulders  so 
much  that  his  secret  was  soon  in  the  air.  Then  Wilken- 
son,  a  staff  officer  of  Gates  in  a  drunken  brawl  blurted 
it  out.  About  the  same  time  anonymous  letters  reached 
the  president  of  Congress,  Patrick  Henry  and  others 
telling  what  could  be  accomplished  by  the  army,  "  if 
it  had  a  man  at  its  head  like  Gates,  Mifflin  or  Con- 
way."  These  letters  were  sent  to  Washington  at 
Valley  Forge  where  the  faithful  Tilghman  read  them 
to  Washington  and  Carroll  and  the  three  discussed 
the  situation.  Washington  merely  wrote  to  Gates  and 
Mifflin  letting  them  know  that  the  information  had 
reached  him,  and  the  conspiracy  collapsed.  Mr.  Lat- 
robe  said  that  though  Mr.  Jefferson  was  not  person 
ally  friendly  to  Mr.  Carroll  and  was  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  political  division  that  followed,  he  always 
insisted  that  the  conspiracy  against  Washington 
would  have  succeeded  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  loyalty 
and  vigilance  of  Mr.  Carroll.  Colonel  Tilghman  went 
further  and  said  he  knew  that  it  was  Mr.  Carroll  that 
had  saved  the  day.  But  Tilghman 's  admiration  and 
love  for  Mr.  Carroll  might  have  warped  his  judgment. 
He  came  from  Maryland  and  was  a  nephew  of  Mat 
thew  Tilghman  one  of  Mr.  Carroll's  closest  workers 
in  the  Maryland  Senate. 

Mifflin  urged  that  Conway  be  made  Inspector  Gen 
eral  of  the  army  with  the  rank  of  Major  General. 


172    CHARLES  CAEEOLL  OF  CAEEOLLTON 

Wayne  expressed  his  determination  to  follow  the  lead 
of  Gates  and  Mifflin.  Conway,  to  advance  his  intrigue 
tendered  his  resignation  to  Congress  and  offered  to 
Gates  as  President  of  the  War  Board  his  services  to 
form  a  plan  for  the  instruction  and  better  discipline 
in  the  army.  Lovell  of  Massachusetts  wrote  to  Gates, 
'  *  the  army  will  be  totally  lost  unless  you  come  down 
and  collect  the  virtuous  band  who  wish  to  fight  under 
your  banner. "  Gates  wrote  to  Conway  a  letter  that 
showed  him  to  be  fully  cognizant  of,  and  a  party  to 
the  conspiracy.  All  this  was  going  on  at  a  time  when 
Washington's  army  was  suffering  for  food  and  cloth 
ing  through  the  treachery  of  Mifflin  with  the  con 
nivance  of  the  others. 

Once  when  some  one  said  that  Mr.  Carroll's  loyalty 
and  watchfulness  had  saved  the  day  for  Washington 
he  replied,  "  Oh,  there's  Tilghman.  Don't  forget 
Tilghman.  Washington  was  so  straightforward  and 
earnest  that  he  never  suspected  treachery.  But  Tilgh 
man  was  alert,  always  watchful  and  the  most  wise  of 
them  could  not  circumvent  Tilghman." 

And  he  added,  "  I  prepared  the  resolution  of  Con 
gress  presenting  the  young  man  with  a  horse,  saddle, 
bridle  and  sword,  in  the  name  of  the  people  of  the 
United  States,  and  I  never  wrote  a  paper  that  came 
more  directly  from  my  heart  than  did  that  resolu 
tion."  Colonel  Tilghman  was  an  aid  on  Washington's 
staff  and  as  military  secretary  to  the  general  was  in 
a  position  where  his  fidelity  and  watchfulness  were 
useful. 

The  Cabal  collapsed  completely  and  afterwards  all 
were  heartily  ashamed  of  it.  Even  Conway,  when  he 
thought  he  was  about  to  die,  wrote  an  apology  to 
Washington  for  the  part  he  had  taken. 


CHAPTER  XVH 

THE  PEACE  OF  PARIS  AND  CONDITIONS  LEADING  TO 
THE  FRENCH  ALLIANCE 

No  chapter  in  American  history  has  been  as  much 
written  and  none  is  as  poorly  understood  as  that 
which  relates  to  the  friendship  of  France  for  the 
colonies,  the  assistance  secretly  given,  and  the  alliance 
that  followed. 

The  Peace  of  Paris  in  1763  left  France  beaten, 
humiliated,  and  deeply  in  debt.  England  on  the  con 
trary,  flushed  with  success,  was  naturally  arrogant, 
dominating  and  many  times  unreasonable.  The 
Seven  Years'  War  had  been  a  glorious  period  for 
British  armies.  On  land  and  sea  they  had  been  vic 
torious.  Her  generals  and  her  admirals  had  returned 
as  conquering  heroes,  and  the  Peace  of  Paris  was 
made  entirely  on  terms  laid  down  by  British  States 
men. 

France  had  been  required  to  give  up  Canada,  Cape 
Breton,  Acadia  and  many  of  her  island  possessions, 
and  had  been  compelled  to  submit  to  the  humiliating 
condition  that  Dunkirk,  her  great  coast  defense  city 
should  level  her  fortifications.  And  more  than  this; 
she  had  to  submit  to  the  presence  of  a  British  Com 
missioner,  who  should  reside  in  Dunkirk  to  see  that  no 
move  was  made  looking  to  rebuilding  them. 

Beaten  down  and  deeply  humiliated  as  they  were, 
the  French  statesmen  had  not  all  given  up  hope  of 
evening  things  with  England,  their  enemy  from  an 
early  day.  Mr.  Carroll  was  in  both  London  and  Paris 
when  the  subject  of  the  Seven  Years'  War  was  under 
constant  discussion.  He  heard  every  phase  pre 
sented;  and  saw  the  question  from  every  possible 

[173] 


174  CHARLES  CABBOLL  OF  CABBOLLTON 

angle.  A  close  student  of  economics,  the  science  of 
government,  as  well  as  the  history  of  the  times  and 
prospectively  the  wealthiest  man  of  America ;  he  was 
questioned,  consulted,  persuaded,  and  posted  by  every 
party  in  both  England  and  France. 

From  the  time  of  the  first  Stamp  Act  and  the  kin 
dred  legislation  of  the  period ;  and  the  restlessness  that 
followed,  he  had  felt  sure  that  a  great  war  between 
England  and  the  American  Colonies  had  to  come ;  and 
he  believed  that  the  colonies  were  destined  soon  to 
become  a  great  country  independent  of  Great  Britain. 
Feeling  this  with  such  positiveness,  his  every  effort 
was  in  promoting  the  best  interests  of  the  colonies  in 
preparing  for  the  conflict  he  saw  so  clearly. 

He  became  well  acquainted  with  Vergennes,  after 
wards  head  of  the  French  Department  of  Foreign 
Affairs,  but  at  that  time  Minister  to  Turkey,  and 
later  to  Sweden.  A  close  relative  of  Vergennes, 
either  a  younger  brother  or  a  nephew,  was  a  classmate 
of  Mr.  Carroll  at  LeGrand  College  in  Paris;  and 
he  was  thus  enabled  to  have  frequent  and  friendly 
talks  with  both  the  Vergennes  in  respect  to  the  condi 
tions  and  aspirations  of  the  colonies.  In  this  way  he 
laid  the  foundations  of  the  warm  friendship  Vergen 
nes  constantly  showed  to  the  colonies. 

In  England  while  his  close  association  was  with 
Pitt,  Burke  and  other  Whig  leaders,  he  also  frequently 
met  and  heard  the  views  of  statesmen  like  Lord  North 
and  Germain,  and  pamphleteers  like  Ben  Johnson. 
In  fact  he  let  no  opportunity  escape,  where  it  was 
possible  to  learn  a  fact  or  make  a  friend  that  might 
be  useful  to  the  colonies.  With  the  foundation  thus 
laid  and  such  a  fund  of  information,  there  is  no  won 
der  that  he  early  began  to  scheme  for  a  French 
alliance. 

This  friendship  and  alliance  was  planned,  promoted 


THE  PEACE  OF  PARIS  175 

and  consummated  by  three  men  Washington,  Frank 
lin  and  Carroll.  Others  who  helped  were  mere  instru 
ments  in  the  hands  of  the  trio  that  did  the  work.  Both 
Washington  and  Franklin  thought  at  first  that  Mr. 
Carroll  should  go  to  France  as  a  commissioner  but 
both  fully  agreed  with  him  afterwards  that  this  would 
not  be  politic  or  advantageous.  In  a  talk  with  them 
in  the  early  stages  of  the  effort  Mr.  Carroll  said,  "  I 
am  the  one  man  that  must  be  kept  entirely  in  the  back 
ground.  It  must  not  be  known  to  a  single  soul  that  I 
am  personally  active  in  this  matter.'' 

Arthur  Lee,  the  first  commissioner  sent  to  France 
made  no  progress  and  really  did  our  cause  harm. 
Through  Mr.  Carroll  Washington  had  been  able  to 
give  Lee  many  valuable  leads  and  to  put  him  in  close 
touch  with  the  right  influence  and  interest.  By  this 
time  the  people  of  the  colonies  were  resting  their 
hopes  of  success  mainly  on  Washington  himself.  The 
Congress  was  weak,  vascillating,  and  impatient ;  with 
out  power  to  do  much ;  and  many  eminent  men  on  this 
account  refused  a  membership  in  the  body.  Mr.  Car 
roll,  though  most  of  the  time  a  member  of  both  the 
State  and  National  bodies,  evidently  always  attached 
greater  importance  to  his  position  as  a  Maryland 
Senator  than  to  anything  the  United  Colonies  or  the 
United  States  could  offer.  But  Lee  went  to  Paris  as  a 
Commissioner  of  the  Congress  and  with  letters  and 
instructions  from  Washington.  His  only  progress  was 
with  Vergennes  and  those  that  surrounded  him.  In 
this  he  had  the  advantage  of  the  friendly  feeling 
created  by  Mr.  Carroll.  The  long  journey  to  Canada 
gave  Mr.  Carroll  and  Dr.  Franklin  the  opportunity  to 
go  freely  and  frequently  into  all  phases  of  the  French 
situation.  This  they  did  with  such  frequency  and 
earnestness  that  Judge  Chase,  their  fellow  Commis 
sioner  to  Canada  several  times  reminded  them  that  it 


176  CHARLES  CAEEOLL  OF  CAEEOLLTON 

was  the  Canadian  situation  rather  than  the  French 
scheme  that  required  immediate  attention.  Franklin 
and  Silas  Deane  were  sent  as  additional  Commis 
sioners  to  France,  and  Franklin  went  with  every  bit 
of  information  and  every  argument  that  Mr.  Carroll 
could  give  him. 

Mr.  Carroll  never  agreed  with  those  who  attri 
buted  sordid  or  other  improper  motives  to  either  Lee 
or  Deane.  He  believed  Lee  to  have  been  irascible  and 
temperamentably  unfit  for  the  work  and  regarded 
Deane  as  a  good  merchant,  but  wanting  in  elements  of 
diplomacy  or  tact.  Dr.  Franklin  did  the  work  and 
did  it  on  lines  laid  out  by  Mr.  Carroll  and  supported 
by  Washington. 

Those  were  days  of  bitter  prejudices  on  religious 
matters.  No  one  understood  this  better  than  Mr.  Car 
roll.  He  felt  that  if  it  was  understood  and  known  that 
a  Eoman  Catholic  was  exerting  himself  to  influence  a 
Catholic  King  to  come  to  the  aid  of  the  country,  a  howl 
of  Eomanism  would  go  up  from  every  quarter  of  the 
land.  Not  only  would  the  Loyalist  party  use  it  to  the 
disadvantage  of  the  Patriots,  but  half  the  Patriot 
party  would  rather  see  the  cause  lost  than  be  under 
obligations  to  a  Catholic  country  and  a  Catholic  King 
for  success. 

Among  the  loyalists  the  French  Alliance  was 
regarded  as  a  horror  and  an  infamy  far  worse  than 
the  Declaration  of  Independence.  That  Protestant 
colonists  should  ally  themselves  for  the  purpose  of 
making  war  upon  their  own  faithful  and  loving 
mother,  England,  was  a  depth  of  degradation  to  which 
they  declared,  they  had  thought  it  impossible  for 
Americans  to  descend.  They  saw  in  it  nothing  but 
ruin,  and  the  Eomanizing  of  America  under  despotic 
government. 


THE  PEACE  OF  PAEIS  177 

John  Adams  who  did  harm  in  France  by  his 
blundering  and  John  Jay,  able  patriot  and  bigot  as  he 
was,  could  not  understand  the  alliance  or  the  causes 
which  brought  it  about.  And,  as  it  was,  the  loyalists 
screamed  Eomanism  every  time  the  aid  of  France 
was  mentioned  and  insisted  that  if  Louis  XVI  helped 
us,  he  would  exact  a  cession  of  territory  on  this  con 
tinent  as  a  reward.  After  the  treaty  with  France  was 
concluded  showing  the  greatest  magnanimity  which 
one  nation  ever  extended  to  another,  men  like  Jay  and 
Adams  believed  for  a  time  that  there  must  be  some 
secret  clause  or  private  understanding  which  would 
insure  to  France  some  substantial  return;  and  which 
would  in  some  way  be  to  our  disadvantage,  or  to  the 
advantage  of  the  Catholic  Church.  So  narrow  were 
the  prejudices  of  the  day  that  men  broad  and  able  in 
other  matters,  could  see  the  image  of  the  Pope  in 
every  shadow  that  flitted  across  their  paths. 

On  account  of  this  peculiar  condition  Mr.  Carroll 
resolved  to  keep  entirely  out  of  the  public  eye  so  far 
as  possible  where  the  alliance  was  concerned,  but  men 
like  Mr.  J.  H.  B.  Labrobe  and  others  who  knew, 
believed  that  the  friendship  of  France  never  could 
have  been  secured  nor  the  alliance  formed  but  for  the 
effective  work  done  by  Mr.  Carroll.  Mr.  Bushrod 
Washington,  who  had  talked  the  matter  over  many 
times  with  his  brother,  was  clearly  of  the  same 
opinion,  and  in  the  expression  of  this  he  doubtless 
reflected  the  views  of  General  Washington  himself. 

Mr.  Carroll  was  with  Washington  during  the  war 
more  than  any  other  man  in  civil  life.  During  the 
terrible  days  of  Valley  Forge,  Mr.  Carroll  spent 
months  with  the  great  Commander,  aiding  him  with 
his  presence,  advice,  and  money. 

When  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  returned  to  the 
Province  of  Maryland  in  1765,  he  found  George 


178  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

Washington  one  of  the  close  friends  of  the  family. 
The  intimacy  then  commenced,  extended  without  a 
break  until  the  death  of  the  great  Virginian. 

Mr.  Latrobe  also  firmly  believed  that  if  the  Conway 
Cabal  had  succeeded  in  removing  General  Washing 
ton,  Mr.  Carroll  would  have  withdrawn  his  support 
from  the  cause;  that  the  French  aid  and  alliance 
would  have  been  lost  and  that  the  whole  effort  at 
independence  would  have  collapsed.  Mr.  Latrobe 
received  much  of  his  information  from  Mr.  Carroll, 
but  also  had  a  great  deal  from  his  father,  who  was 
an  active  and  efficient  participant  in  the  events  of 
those  days.  And  above  all  he  had  the  opportunity 
of  going  over  the  whole  matter,  fully  and  freely  with 
LaFayette.  This  he  did  not  casually  as  the  average 
man  might,  but  with  the  care  of  a  trained  writer  and 
thinker,  who  was  preparing  the  life  of  Charles  Carroll 
of  Carrollton. 

LaFayette  knowing  this  and  out  of  the  esteem  he 
had  for  his  friend,  the  elder  Latrobe,  gave  the  young 
man  the  advantage  of  every  detail  he  could  recall  and 
on  his  return  to  France  sent  him  copies  of  many 
papers  which  he  thought  might  be  of  interest  in  con 
nection  with  the  work  on  which  he  was  engaged. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

FURTHER  DETAILS  OF  THE  FRIENDSHIP  OF,  AND 
ALLIANCE  WITH  FRANCE 

In  tracing  our  relations  with  France,  the  next  step 
introduces  to  us  one  of  the  most  interesting  characters 
ever  presented  even  by  France,  the  country  of  inter 
esting  people.  This  is  Seur  de  Beaumarchais,  our 
first  friend  at  the  French  court  in  a  practical  way. 

Beaumarchais,  though  much  berated  and  quite  as 
much  envied,  was  a  very  remarkable  man.  His  real 
name  was  Carnon.  He  was  the  son  of  a  watchmaker 
and  learned  that  trade  himself.  Though  the  second 
son,  he  was  selected  to  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  his 
father,  and  carry  on  the  business.  He  turned  out  to 
be  a  most  excellent  mechanic  and  made  some  valuable 
inventions  in  the  construction  of  watches.  The  Carnon 
watches  became  famous  and  the  most  distinguished 
people  of  France  came  to  his  shop.  But  making  time 
pieces  was  altogether  too  slow  an  occupation  for  this 
gifted  and  ambitious  young  man.  He  took  the  name  of 
Beaumarchais,  bought  fashionable  clothes,  got  intro 
ductions;  and  introduced  himself  into  society,  and 
soon  became  every  where  a  favorite.  He  studied 
languages,  science  and  history.  Naturally  brilliant 
and  thoroughly  accomplished  he  soon  became  a 
favorite  and  succeeded  in  winning  his  way  to  royal 
favor.  By  the  year  1774,  he  had  attained  a  position 
where  he  not  only  was  received  in  court  circles,  but 
was  one  of  the  most  influential  of  those  that  had  the 
ear  of  Louis  XVI.  Mr.  Carroll  never  met  Beau 
marchais  but  knew  him  well  through  La  Fon,  one  of 
the  men  who  looked  after  the  Carroll  interests  in  Paris 
as  Perkins  did  in  London.  La  Fon  saw  in  Beau- 

[179] 


180    CHARLES  CAEEOLL  OF  CAEEOLLTON 

marchais  a  man  who  could  be  of  great  use  in  helping 
the  cause  of  the  colonies.  Able,  resolute,  romantic  and 
ambitious,  the  colonial  situation  appealed  to  him  and 
he  studied  it  assiduously  and  carefully.  His  interest 
and  influence  were  reported  to  this  country  and 
La  Fon  put  him  in  touch  with  Arthur  Lee,  the  Colonial 
Commissioner  in  Paris.  But  the  two  did  not  get  on 
well.  That  is  Lee  did  not  get  on  well  with  Beau- 
marchais.  But  La  Fon  encouraged  and  cultivated  the 
latter,  and  he  presented  the  American  situation  to  the 
King,  and  really  did  a  great  deal  more  for  the  colonies 
than  did  Lee.  In  this  work  La  Fon  was  aided  greatly 
by  Thomas  Donnelly,  another  of  Mr.  Carroll's  Paris 
agents. 

Louis  XVI  was  a  man,  mentally  and  morally  much 
better  than  his  kind  of  that  day.  Undoubtedly  he  had 
in  view  above  all  things  the  best  interests  of  France. 
At  this  period  he  faced  a  serious  and  complex  problem 
on  which  his  advisers  were  at  odds.  On  the  one  hand 
it  was  argued  that  above  all  things  France  needed  a 
long  period  of  rest  and  recuperation  and  that  nothing 
should  be  done  that  might  lead  to  another  war  with 
England. 

Through  the  influence  of  Beaumarchais  and  Ver- 
gennes  the  sympathy  of  the  King  was  now  strongly 
with  the  colonies.  The  Seven  Years'  War  had  been  a 
struggle  for  colonial  possessions  and  France  had  lost. 
She  had  still  important  colonial  interests  and  her  ally, 
Spain,  had  much  greater.  By  helping  separate  the 
American  Colonies  from  England  that  country  would 
be  greatly  weakened ;  but  what  further  effect  would  the 
success  of  the  American  revolution  have?  Wouldn't 
it  make  Mexico,  South  and  Central  America  as  well  as 
the  rich  West  India  Islands  also  want  to  become 
separate  countries.  Could  France  and  Spain  afford  to 
help  make  revolution  successful!  This  was  a  time 


ALLIANCE  WITH  FRANCE  181 

when  religion  played  a  big  part  in  political  move 
ments,  and  the  enemies  of  the  American  cause  put  it 
another  way.  If  you  help  separate  the  colonies  from 
Great  Britain,  will  you  not  be  building  up  a  country 
destined  to  become  another  powerful  Protestant 
nation  ? 

Can  Catholic  France  afford  to  stand  god-mother  for 
a  country  pretty  sure  to  become  a  great  Protestant 
nation?  To  all  this,  men  like  Vergennes,  Beaumar- 
chais  and  La  Fon  answered  that  the  American  Nation 
was  destined  to  be  a  land  of  liberty  and  oppor 
tunity;  where  no  religion  would  be  prescribed  and  no 
one  permitted  to  suffer  on  account  of  his  religion. 
Then  there  was  something  else  to  consider.  The  talk 
about  liberty  and  the  natural  rights  of  man  was 
becoming  general  in  France.  One  writer  has  said  the 
idea  of  liberty  was  whispered  in  the  time  of  Louis 
XIV,  talked  out  loud  in  the  time  of  Louis  XV  and 
screamed  from  the  house-top  in  the  time  of  Louis  XVI. 
Though  this  screaming  point  had  not  yet  been  reached 
there  was  enough  talk  of  liberty  in  France,  to  make  it 
a  serious  matter  for  the  King  to  go  to  the  aid  of  a 
distant  people  struggling  for  liberty. 

But  it  is  undoubtedly  true  that  the  King  honestly 
sympathized,  and  sympathized  deeply,  with  the 
American  Colonies.  That  this  sympathy  was  greatly 
increased  by  his  hatred  of  England  is  equally  true.  He 
was  in  a  frame  of  mind  to  listen  favorably  and  Beau- 
marchais  was  the  man  to  present  a  plan.  And  it 
should  be  kept  in  mind  that  as  severely  as  Beaumar- 
chais  has  been  criticized  nothing  came  out  to  convict 
him  of  dishonest  practices.  He  was  in  full  sympathy 
with  Americans,  but  was  entirely  willing  to  turn  that 
sympathy  to  good  commercial  account.  Nothing  worse 
can  be  said  of  him  truthfully.  So  he  went  on  to 
develop  his  plan.  France  should  advance  1,000,000 


182  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

francs  and  through  the  influence  of  the  King  a  like 
sum  was  to  be  advanced  by  Spain.  With  this  2,000,000 
francs  he  would  establish  a  great  commercial  house 
that  would  buy  or  receive  free  arms,  munitions  and 
equipments  and  sell  to  the  colonies.  In  return  the 
colonies  would  send  to  this  house  tobacco  and  other 
raw  material  that  the  colonies  had  to  sell  and  that  the 
French  people  needed.  In  this  way  the  struggling 
continentals  could  be  clothed,  equipped  and  fed,  while 
France  would  be  building  up  a  foreign  trade  at  the 
expense  of  England.  It  took  a  good  while  to  perfect 
all  the  details  but  the  idea  was  plausible  and  practical, 
and  men  like  Washington,  Carroll  and  Franklin  saw 
great  possibilities  for  good  in  it.  When  the  first  inti 
mation  of  the  scheme  reached  this  country,  Mr.  Carroll 
was  with  Washington  at  army  headquarters.  They 
doubtless  talked  it  over  and  considered  it  from  every 
angle.  It  came  as  a  gleam  of  hope  at  a  time  when  the 
situation  was  dark  and  everything  seemed  discourag 
ing.  The  surrender  of  Burgoyne  in  the  north  was 
about  the  only  success  the  colonies  had  really  achieved 
for  a  good  while.  Mr.  Carroll  was  much  pleased  with 
the  prospects  and  was  glad  above  all  things  that  he 
had  not  consented  to  go  to  France  or  to  be  known  in 
the  transaction.  As  it  was,  every  time  there  was  a 
mention  of  aid  from  France,  the  Loyalist  element 
howled  Romanism  and  Catholic  influence. 

Lee,  the  American  Commissioner  and  Beaumarchais 
conferred,  arranged  and  negotiated.  Beaumarchais 
leased  a  hotel  and  prepared  to  do  business  in  a  big 
way.  The  great  mercantile  house  of  Roderique  Hor- 
talez  &  Co.  was  a  fixed  fact  and  business  with  the 
Colonies  was  opened.  From  the  first  Lee  blustered 
and  blundered.  He  and  Beaumarchais  each  distrusted 
the  other,  but  business  proceeded.  Of  course  England 
could  find  no  grievance  in  a  commercial  house  selling 


ALLIANCE  WITH  FRANCE  183 

goods  to  the  Colonies.  There  was  nothing  to  show 
that  the  King  had  anything  to  do  with  it.  The  French 
officers  who  wanted  to  enter  the  Continental  army 
became  a  nuisance  —  at  least  to  Beaumarchais.  With 
money  in  hand  and  the  government  arsenals  to  draw 
on  without  having  to  pay  Roderique  Hortalez  &  Co. 
was  in  a  position  to  do  a  flourishing  business;  and  it 
did.  Lee  agreed  to  provide  ships  to  transport  the 
munitions  but  failed  to  do  so.  Beaumarchais  then 
provided  ships.  The  first  one  sailed  with  a  cargo  of 
such  munitions  as  were  needed  worst  in  the  Colonies. 
Just  as  Beaumarchais  was  breathing  easy  with  the 
feeling  that  business  had  now  commenced,  the  ship 
returned.  One  of  the  French  officers  didn't  like  his 
quarters  on  the  ship  and  had  compelled  the  captain 
to  come  back.  This  matter  was  adjusted  and  other 
troubles  arising  were  also  met  and  business  went  on. 

Beaumarchais  sent  bills  to  Congress  asking  that 
tobacco  and  other  raw  materials  be  returned  in  pay 
ment.  Lee  wrote  to  Congress  that  the  cargoes  were 
gifts  from  the  King,  that  the  business  house  was  a 
mere  blind  to  fool  Great  Britain  and  that  no  payment 
should  be  made.  In  the  effort  to  magnify  his  own 
importance  and  acts  Lee  bungled  the  whole  thing  and 
did  much  harm.  Congress  had  no  tobacco  to  send  and 
no  way  to  get  it  except  to  induce  the  States  to  provide. 
In  this  condition  it  was  easy  for  its  members  to  be 
persuaded  that  no  payment  should  be  made.  Silas 
Deane  had  arrived  in  the  meantime  and  had  been  in 
frequent  conference  with  Beaumarchais.  Deane  tried 
to  negotiate  a  loan  from  Vergennes,  but  was  referred 
to  Beaumarchais  and  the  general  mix-up  grew  worse, 
but  the  House  of  Roderique  Hortalez  &  Co.  kept  on 
sending  supplies  to  America  and  charging  them  to  the 
account  of  the  Continental  Congress. 

In  October,  Congress  had  elected  Franklin,  Deane 


184  CHAELES  CAEEOLL  OF  CAEEOLLTON 

and  Lee  to  represent  the  country  in  France  with 
instructions  to  them  to  secure  aid  in  money  and  muni 
tions  on  the  best  terms,  and  in  the  most  advantageous 
manner  they  could.  Franklin  arrived  in  Paris,  Decem 
ber  21st.  Both  Lee  and  Deane  were  jealous  of  him  as 
well  as  of  each  other,  but  he  was  a  man  able  to  grasp 
and  manage  the  situation.  He  encouraged  Beaumar- 
chais  to  forward  his  supplies.  Beaumarchais  wasn't 
taking  much  chance  as  he  got  his  stock  without  cost 
and  had  in  hand  2,000,000  francs,  about  $400,000,  to 
defray  expenses.  He  undoubtedly  figured  on  what  he 
should  get  from  America  in  return,  as  his  profits. 
And  the  King  in  his  friendly,  easy-going  way,  was 
willing  to  let  it  go  at  that. 

But  England  was  so  alarmed  at  the  course  of  things 
and  so  strongly  suspected  that  aid  was  being  extended 
by  the  French  that  there  need  be  no  valid  objection  to 
an  open  alliance.  Franklin  had  all  the  points  that  Mr. 
Carroll  could  give  him,  all  the  information  that  La  Fon 
had  accumulated  and  Beaumarchais  was  ready  to  help 
all  he  could. 

Franklin 's  arrival  was  in  the  midst  of  all  this  bustle 
and  blundering.  His  arrival  created  great  interest  as 
he  was  known  to  the  French  people  as  one  of  the 
world's  great  scientists.  One  writer  said  of  him,  "  he 
has  a  most  pleasing  expression,  very  little  hair  and  a 
fur  cap." 

He  took  up  his  lodgings  with  Silas  Deane  and  began 
looking  into  affairs.  Beaumarchais  was  anxious  but 
cheerful.  He  was  always  cheerful.  But  Franklin 
didn't  bother  much  about  Beaumarchais  or  Hortalez 
&  Co.  He  probably  thought  it  easiest  and  safest  to 
let  Lee,  Deane,  Congress  and  Beaumarchais  fight  it 
out.  What  he  was  most  interested  in  was  getting 
money  from  the  French  and  forming  an  alliance  that 
would  be  to  the  advantage  of  the  two  countries. 


ALLIANCE  WITH  FEANCE  185 

Franklin  through  Vergennes  and  others  soon  suc 
ceeded  in  getting  the  King  to  advance  two  million  of 
francs.  This  was  in  addition  to  what  Beaumarchais 
had  received  and  was  made  as  a  gift  to  the  colonial 
cause.  Franklin  was  successful  in  securing  funds  and 
his  negotiations  for  a  treaty  were  well  received  while 
the  French  watched  the  progress  of  affairs  with  great 
interest.  Finally  on  the  16th  of  December,  M.  Gerard, 
in  behalf  of  France,  informed  the  American  commis 
sioners  that  His  Majesty  had  determined  to  acknowl 
edge  the  independence  of  and  to  enter  into  a  treaty  of 
commerce  and  alliance  with  the  United  States  of 
America  and  that  he  would  not  only  acknowledge  the 
independence,  but  would  support  it  with  all  the  means 
in  his  power. 

On  the  6th  of  February,  1778,  a  treaty  of  commerce 
and  a  treaty  of  defensive  alliance  in  case  war  should  be 
the  consequences,  was  signed  by  representatives  of  the 
two  countries  and  the  compact  that  assured  the 
independence  of  the  Colonies  was  cemented. 

France  made  loans  to  the  Americans  of  three  million 
francs  in  1778,  one  million  in  1779,  and  four  million  in 
1880.  The  loans  were  of  inestimable  advantage.  The 
credit  of  Congress  was  so  low  that  it  was  practically 
impossible  for  the  American  representatives  to  bor 
row  money  in  Europe.  They  were  embarrassed  also 
by  the  representatives  of  the  States  who  were  trying 
to  secure  separate  loans. 

Early  in  the  year  1781,  in  requesting  a  loan,  Frank 
lin  said  "I  am  growing  old.  I  feel  myself  much 
enfeebled  by  my  late  illness,  and  it  is  probable  I  shall 
not  long  have  any  more  concern  in  these  affairs.  I 
therefore  take  this  occasion  to  express  my  opinion  to 
your  Excellency  that  the  present  conjunction  is  crit 
ical;  that  there  is  some  danger  lest  the  Congress 
should  lose  its  influence  over  the  people,  if  it  is  found 


186  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

unable  to  procure  the  aids  that  are  wanted,  and  that 
the  whole  system  of  the  new  government  in  America 
may  be  thereby  shaken ;  that  if  the  English  are  suffered 
once  to  recover  that  country  such  an  opportunity  of 
effectual  separation  as  the  present  may  not  occur  again 
in  the  course  of  ages."  To  this  appeal  Vergennes 
replied  that  on  account  of  the  great  expense  France 
was  under  in  the  war,  she  was  not  able  to  make  the 
loan,  but  that  the  King  himself  would  give  six  millions 
of  francs  as  a  free  gift,  in  addition  to  three  millions 
which  he  had  given  before. 

But  notwithstanding  this  gift  and  in  spite  of  the  low 
condition  of  the  treasury  a  further  loan  of  four  mil 
lion  of  francs  was  made  in  1781,  and  in  the  same  year 
Holland  loaned  our  government  ten  million  of  francs 
on  the  indorsement  of  the  King  of  France.  In  1782 
France  loaned  us  six  million  more  and  six  million 
again  in  1783.  The  United  States  received  from 
France  by  gifts  of  the  King  and  by  loans  and  by  the 
guarantee  of  the  King  an  aggregate  of  over  forty-four 
million  of  francs. 

In  his  life  of  Franklin,  Parton,  speaking  of  this 
source  of  supply  said,  "  Never  did  he  (Franklin) 
apply  in  vain.  Never  was  he  obliged  to  defer  the  pay 
ment  of  a  draft  for  an  hour.  So  ardent  was  the  King 
in  our  support  in  1779  that  Maurepas  said  l '  It  is  for 
tunate  for  the  King  that  Lafayette  does  not  take  it 
into  his  head  to  strip  Versailles  of  its  furniture,  to 
send  to  his  dear  Americans,  as  his  Majesty  would  be 
unable  to  refuse  it." 

Besides  the  gifts  and  loans  here  mentioned  a  large 
amount  of  supplies  was  donated  so  that  Mr.  Pickering, 
our  Secretary  of  State,  in  a  message  to  the  American 
Minister  in  Paris  in  1797  said,  "  All  the  loans  and  sup 
plies  received  from  France  during  the  American  war 
amounted  to  fifty-three  million  francs.  This  did  not 


ALLIANCE  WITH  FRANCE  187 

include  the  account  of  Beaumarchais  nor  the  free  gifts 
of  the  King." 

Recalling  this  aid  lavishly  given  at  a  time  when  it 
was  so  badly  needed,  and  when  we  further  recall  that 
on  the  way  to  meet  Cornwallis  at  Yorktown,  where  the 
final  struggle  was  made,  the  continentals  were  in  such 
need  of  money  that  Washington  induced  Kochambeau, 
the  French  commander,  to  open  his  own  strong  box 
and  pay  the  American  troops,  that  wholesale  desertion 
might  be  prevented;  and  when  we  remember  that  at 
Yorktown  the  French  soldiers  outnumbered  the  Ameri 
cans  and  the  French  fleet  really  turned  the  tide  in  our 
favor  and  gave  us  the  victory  —  when  we  remember  all 
these  things  we  are  prone  to  ask  ourselves  if  victory 
over  the  British  could  have  been  achieved  without  the 
aid  of  the  French.  Mr.  Latrobe  asked  Mr.  Carroll 
this  question  the  day  after  Lafayette's  departure  in 
1824  and  the  venerable  statesman  and  Christian 
answered  simply,  "  It  was  the  Lord's  will." 


CHAPTER  XIX 

ROBERT  MORRIS  WITH  THE  AID  OF  CARROLL  AND 
OTHERS  SAVES  THE  FINANCIAL  SITUATION 

In  1781  conditions  in  the  colonies  were  about  as  bad 
as  they  could  well  be.  The  armies  were  unpaid,  dis 
couraged  and  mutinous.  One  mutiny  after  another 
had  been  suppressed,  and  little  hope  of  better  things 
could  be  held  out. 

Congress  and  the  cause  was  absolutely  bankrupt, 
Washington  was  not  only  greatly  discouraged  but  he 
was  almost  ruined  financially.  The  paper  money  of  the 
colonies  had  reached  a  point  where  it  could  not  be 
passed  at  any  rate  of  discount.  The  gradual  but  con 
tinued  depreciation  had  been  the  cause  of  ruin  in  all 
directions.  People  who  had  large  amounts  due  them 
had  to  submit  to  being  paid  off  in  a  currency  so  depre 
ciated  that  it  took  one  hundred  dollars  of  it  to  buy 
what  one  dollar  of  hard  money  would  pay  for.  Out 
side  of  lands  and  slaves  Washington's  great  fortune 
was  largely  invested  in  mortgages  and  notes  in  Vir 
ginia.  His  debtors  were  prompt  to  settle  his  claims 
and  pay  off  his  mortgages  when  they  could  do  so  with 
paper  money  obtainable  at  the  rate  of  a  hundred  dol 
lars  for  one  dollar  in  coin.  Euination  was  met  every 
where  and  something  had  to  be  done.  England  had 
held  that  when  the  paper  money  became  worthless  by 
reason  of  the  immense  amount  of  it,  the  war  would 
have  to  end ;  and  it  looked  that  way. 

Robert  Morris  was  a  member  of  Congress,  but  was 
also  a  successful  merchant  in  Philadelphia.  He  had 
been  sending  out  privateers  and  had  been  trading  with 
the  merchants  of  France,  Spain  and  Holland ;  and  was 
regarded  as  a  successful  man  at  a  time  when  so  many 

[189] 


190  CHAELES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

were  losing  all  they  had.  Washington  turned  to  this 
successful  merchant  and  urged  him  to  undertake  the 
financial  redemption  of  the  colonies.  Here  again  the 
reliable  Carroll  and  faithful  Tilghman  were  on  hand. 
Robert  Morris,  born  in  Liverpool,  had  come  to  Mary 
land  when  a  small  boy,  and  was  raised  in  the  same 
county  and  in  the  same  part  of  the  county  where  Tilgh 
man  was  born.  When  Tilghman  went  to  Philadelphia 
he  naturally  sought  out  the  only  man  there  from  his 
immediate  locality.  They  became  friends  and  Tilgh 
man  had  great  faith  in  the  ability  of  this  friend,  who 
had  been  so  successful  in  his  own  business. 

The  paper  money  disaster  that  carried  down  so 
many  men  of  wealth  had  not  hurt  Mr.  Carroll,  though 
he  had  great  sums  due  him  these  were  mostly  payable, 
not  in  dollars,  but  in  pounds  of  tobacco,  a  custom 
that  had  prevailed  in  Maryland  since  its  settlement. 
Though  the  custom  was  now  passing  away  Mr.  Car 
roll  thought  it  expedient  to  revive  it,  and  to  a  great 
extent  did  so  in  his  transactions  during  this  period 
when  the  value  of  a  dollar  was  so  uncertain. 

At  the  earnest  wish  of  Washington  a  committee  of 
Congress  took  up  the  question  of  money  with  Mr.  Mor 
ris.  He  had  been  too  busy  with  his  own  affairs  to  give 
much  time  to  the  public  of  late.  Carroll,  Morris  and 
Chase  talked  the  matter  over  fully  with  one  or  two 
others.  All  except  Chase  were  men  of  big  business 
interests.  They  agreed  that  the  finances  must  be  put 
on  a  specific  basis.  That  much  was  easy ;  but  how  was 
it  to  be  done?  As  a  result  of  many  interviews  and 
much  discussion  Robert  Morris  agreed  to  become  the 
fiscal  agent  of  the  government.  Tilghman 's  belief  that 
Robert  Morris  could  save  the  day  had  much  to  do  with 
impressing  Washington.  This  confidence  of  Tilghman 
was  so  thorough  that  it  further  cemented  the  friend 
ship  between  him  and  Robert  Morris,  so  that  when  the 


SAVES  THE  FINANCIAL  SITUATION    191 

Revolutionary  War  was  over  Tilghman  became  a  mem 
ber  of  the  Robert  Morris  firm,  and  was  the  Baltimore 
manager  for  the  house  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  while  Washington,  Carroll  and  most  of  his 
older  associates  were  still  living. 

But,  urged  by  Washington,  Carroll,  Tilghman  and 
others,  Robert  Morris  undertook  the  task  of  putting 
the  business  of  the  colonies  on  a  specific  basis,  which 
meant  paying  the  men  and  buying  supplies  with  gold 
and  silver.  While  the  conferences  were  going  on 
Morris  was  working  out  his  schemes  and  had  arranged 
them  in  advance  and  canvassed  them  with  Carroll  and 
his  other  associates. 

Samuel  Adams  protested  against  the  selection  of 
Robert  Morris  as  fiscal  agent  and  against  acting  on 
the  advice  of  Washington  in  such  a  matter.  In  fact 
the  whole  clan  that  had  sought  the  destruction  of  the 
commander-in-chief,  or  had  connived  at  it,  were  still 
crying  out  against  the  "  exaltation  of  Washington, ' ' 
as  they  called  it.  But  the  other  faction  led  by  Carroll 
and  Chase  had  its  way,  and  Morris  was  selected  and 
was  given  broad  authority  in  the  management  of  the 
rickety  financial  situation. 

He  organized  The  Bank  of  North  America,  an  insti 
tution  still  in  existence  in  Philadelphia,  and  with  this 
bank  he  proposed  to  gather  enough  coin  to  meet  the 
payments  of  the  United  States  as  they  had  to  be  made. 
He  had  three  sources  on  which  to  base  his  hopes.  He 
could  secure  deposits  in  coin  from  the  wealthy  men 
of  the  colonies,  but  he  could  not  rely  on  any  great  sum 
in  this  way.  Some  of  the  colonies  were  making  sub 
scriptions  of  tobacco  and  other  produce.  These  he 
would  send  to  the  West  Indies  and  sell  for  coin.  Then 
there  wras  another  loan  from  France  which  Laurens 
was  bringing  over.  This  loan,  handled  as  a  man  like 
Morris  could  handle  it,  saved  the  day.  The  other  two 


192    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

items  helped  a  great  deal,  but  it  was  a  proper  handling 
of  the  coin  from  France  that  really  met  the  situation. 
Men  like  Carroll,  Hancock,  Washington,  Jefferson, 
Chase  and  Johnson  sent  all  the  coin  to  Morris  that 
they  could  gather.  Mr.  Hancock  was  at  that  time 
Governor  of  Massachusetts  and  Mr.  Jefferson,  Gov 
ernor  of  Virginia.  Morris  was  abused  and  traduced 
by  the  clique  that  was  fighting  Washington  and  by  the 
holders  of  paper  money,  who  felt  bitter  towards  any 
one  connected  with  the  finances.  A  mob  in  the  streets 
of  Philadelphia  tarred  and  feathered  a  dog  and  cov- 
vered  him  with  the  worthless  Continental  notes  to 
show  their  indignation. 

But  the  Bank  of  North  America  prospered  and  is 
in  existence  to-day,  the  only  National  bank  in  the  coun 
try  that  was  not  required  to  change  its  name  by  insert 
ing  the  word  "  National."  It  still  holds  the  original 
charter  issued  by  the  Continental  Congress  and  also 
has  a  charter  from  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  and  one 
from  our  present  National  Government.  The  courtesy 
of  not  being  required  to  change  its  name  was  extended 
to  it  by  the  government  on  account  of  the  patriotic 
associations  of  its  early  career.  What  Washington 
was  in  war  and  Carroll  in  civil  life,  Robert  Morris  and 
the  Bank  of  North  America  were  in  the  financial 
salvation  of  the  colonies. 

The  mistakes  and  blunders  of  Cornwallis,  now  in 
command  of  the  British  armies  of  the  South,  were  so 
many  and  so  glaring  that  Washington  believed  that  if 
the  troops  could  be  paid  so  that  deserters  and  mutiny 
could  be  prevented,  a  fatal  blow  at  the  enemy  could  be 
struck.  Morris  received  the  gold  from  France  and  did 
everything  possible  to  make  the  most  of  it.  He  piled 
it  high  in  the  bank  windows  during  the  day,  and  had 
men  moving  it  from  place  to  place  in  order  to  impress 
the  people  with  the  great  resources  of  the  government. 


SAVES  THE  FINANCIAL  SITUATION    193 

Not  long  before  this  the  members  of  the  Maryland 
legislature  after  trying  in  every  direction  to  raise 
supplies  determined  to  make  such  personal  contribu 
tions  as  they  were  able.  The  more  prosperous  of  them 
had  been  constant  in  their  aid  in  various  ways  since 
the  beginning  of  the  struggle.  But  now,  with  every 
prospect  that  the  scene  of  activity  would  be  removed 
to  the  Chesapeake  Bay,  the  need  of  money  and  sup 
plies  became  more  pressing  than  ever.  The  members 
were  not  poor  men,  for  one  had  to  be  possessed  of  an 
estate  to  the  value  of  $5,000  to  make  him  eligible  to  the 
position.  But  men  who  had  estates  found  it  hard  to 
get  money  even  for  their  personal  requirements.  But 
the  demand  on  the  State  was  pressing  and  each  mem 
ber  did  his  best.  Many  made  their  contributions  in 
paper  money,  the  only  currency  they  could  command. 
Others  made  the  more  substantial  contribution  of  one, 
two,  three  or  five  hogsheads  of  tobacco.  But  Mr.  Car 
roll  contributed  ten  hogsheads  of  tobacco,  the  largest 
contribution  made  by  any  member.  Most  of  this  duly 
reached  Morris  at  Philadelphia  or  was  delivered  for 
shipment  to  one  of  his  trading  ships  for  transportation 
to  a  point  where  it  could  be  converted  into  coin. 

The  new  methods  of  financing  duly  impressed  the 
country  and  the  impression  soon  reached  the  army  and 
the  people  who  held  unpaid  claims  for  supplies.  The 
mere  fact  that  Eobert  Morris  said  the  claims  would  be 
paid  in  gold  made  the  claimants  much  better  satisfied 
to  wait.  Morris  directed  the  payment  first  of  all  the 
small  claims  that  were  duly  certified.  He  said  that 
ten  men  with  a  claim  of  one  pound  each  would  make 
ten  times  as  much  noise  as  one  man  with  a  ten-pound 
claim.  He  made  part  payments  on  the  large  claims 
and  soon  had  the  situation  well  in  hand.  He  could  not 


194  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

replenish  the  strong  box  of  Washington  as  he  desired 
and  as  it  required,  but  things  were  much  improved. 

Mr.  Carroll  made  many  trips  from  Washington  to 
Morris  and  back  and  it  seemed  for  a  time  that  Con 
gress  was  completely  ignored.  Mr.  Carroll  had  long 
been  disgusted  and  disappointed  at  the  way  many 
members  of  Congress  seemed  to  view  so  serious  a  sit 
uation.  Nearly  two  years  before  he  had  written  to 
Johnson  at  Annapolis  from  York,  Pa.,  "  I  wish  you 
would  employ  some  ingenius  writer  to  combat  and 
exploit  the  perfidiousness  of  our  enemies;  they  stop 
at  nothing  —  the  whole  British  nation  seems  rising 
against  us ;  they  will  unite  every  force  to  conquer  us. 
I  am  persuaded  they  will  send  over,  during  the  course 
of  the  summer  and  fall  at  least  16,000  men  principally 
British.  Is  it  not  strange  that  the  lust  of  dominion 
should  force  the  British  nation  to  greater  exertions 
than  our  desire  of  liberty  can  produce  among  us?  " 
and  he  concludes  this  letter  by  saying  "  The  Congress 
does  worse  than  ever,  we  murder  time  and  chat  it 
away  on  idle  and  impertinent  talk;  however,  I  hope 
the  urgency  of  affairs  will  teach  even  this  body  a  little 
discretion. ' ' 

At  that  time  as  well  as  at  the  period  a  little  later  the 
weakness  shown  by  Congress  seemed  to  cause  the 
people  more  than  ever  to  place  their  reliance  on  Wash 
ington  and  those  who  were  so  valiantly  supporting 
him.  Only  close  friends  like  Mr.  Carroll,  Lafayette 
and  Tilghman  knew  the  burden  under  which  he  was 
staggering. 

John  Henry  of  Maryland  was  another  staunch 
friend  of  Washington  and  an  earnest  co-worker  with 
Mr.  Carroll.  He  supplemented  the  letter  just  quoted 
by  writing  to  the  Governor  "  the  state  of  the  army  is 
most  critical.  Four  months'  pay  if  not  more  is  due 


SAVES  THE  FINANCIAL  SITUATION    195 

them;  and  no  money  in  the  treasury  to  satisfy  their 
just  arid  reasonable  demands. " 

This  condition  which  prevailed  everywhere  con 
tinued  to  grow  worse  till  the  situation  was  taken  in 
hand  and  the  life  of  the  nation  saved  by  Morris  and 
his  associates. 


CHAPTER  XX 

THE    WAR    NEARING    AN    END  — MR.    CARROLL'S 
INTEREST  IN  THE  MARYLAND  LINE 

Mr.  Carroll  continued  to  give  his  time  mainly  to 
the  service  of  the  State.  The  shifting  of  the  scenes  of 
the  war  from  the  South  as  well  as  from  the  North  to 
the  Chesapeake  Bay  made  the  duties  in  connection 
with  State  affairs  all  the  more  exacting. 

Cornwallis,  having  moved  to  northern  Virginia,  and 
with  indications  that  Washington  and  Eochambeau 
would  attack  him  there,  and  thus  bring  the  war  once 
more  to  the  very  borders  of  Maryland,  made  matters 
here  still  more  interesting. 

Finances  were  in  better  shape  by  reason  of  con 
tracts  now  being  made  in  gold  and  silver ;  and  people 
at  least  could  tell  what  they  owed,  what  was  owed  to 
them,  and  what  they  had  lost. 

With  a  French  army  under  Gen.  Eochambeau 
larger  than  the  army  of  Washington  aiding  us,  and 
being  paid  out  of  its  own  strong  box  brought  over 
from  France,  our  cause  was  in  much  better,  but  far 
from  a  satisfactory  condition.  It  was  with  the  utmost 
effort  and  with  liberal  personal  contributions  that 
money  could  be  raised  to  pay  the  Maryland  troops. 
Eobert  Morris  and  his  bank  were  doing  much,  enough 
to  save  the  day,  but  things  had  got  in  such  a  terrible 
condition  that  with  all  this  the  troops  were  in  a  pretty 
bad  way. 

News  reached  Annapolis  of  the  movement  against 
Cornwallis,  who  had  taken  a  position  at  Yorktown. 
Washington  and  Eochambeau  had  found  means  to 
transport  their  armies  to  the  new  theatre  of  opera 
tions  and  the  great  fight  of  the  war,  the  decisive  battle 

[197] 


198    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

was  likely  to  be  fought.  This  news  and  much  more, 
some  reliable  and  a  good  deal  groundless,  was  con 
stantly  reaching  Annapolis. 

The  Maryland  division  numbering  something  of 
over  2,000  men,  had  been  ordered  by  Washington,  with 
the  consent  of  Congress,  to  go  south.  They  marched 
from  Morristown,  N.  J.,  to  Elk  River,  Maryland,  where 
arrangements  had  been  made  for  their  embarkation 
south.  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  met  the  troops 
at  the  point  which  is  now  Elkton  and  spent  two  days 
with  De  Kalb  and  the  regimental  commanders.  Just 
what  the  nature  and  purpose  of  this  visit  was  is  not 
known,  but  in  some  way  it  undoubtedly  concerned  the 
payment  of  the  men.  However,  the  troops  were  sent 
on  ships  seized  by  the  State  to  North  Carolina. 

Much  news  had  come  of  the  late  movements  and 
hardships  endured  by  the  Maryland  troops,  and 
serious  criticism  of  Gates,  who  had  been  appointed  to 
the  command  of  the  army  of  the  South  independent  of 
Washington.  Gen.  Otho  Williams  of  Baltimore,  who 
was  adjutant  on  De  Kalb's  staff,  tried  to  make  some 
suggestions  to  Gates,  but  they  were  coldly  received. 
Williams  was  a  friend  of  Carroll  and  Carroll  had 
offended  him  by  his  loyal  stand  for  Washington  and 
Gates  had  no  use  for  Williams. 

The  record  shows  pretty  clearly  that  if  Gates  had 
listened  to  Gen.  Williams,  he  could  have  saved  the 
men  much  suffering  and  himself  the  humiliation  that 
followed  and  culminated  in  a  disastrous  campaign  and 
the  death  of  Baron  De  Kalb.  The  Maryline  Line  lost 
over  six  hundred  of  its  two  thousand  men. 

Washington  announced  the  disaster  of  Camden  and 
the  defeat  of  Gates  to  Gov.  Lee  of  Maryland.  He 
also  wrote  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton,  < '  Maryland 
has  made  great  exertions,  but  she  can  still  do  some 
thing  more."  A  stirring  appeal  was  made  by  the 


THE  WAR  NEARING  AN  END  199 

Governor,  Mr.  Carroll  and  others,  and  seven  hundred 
recruits  were  mustered  in.  By  earnest  efforts  of  pri 
vate  citizens  a  considerable  amount  of  stores  and 
money  were  also  collected. 

In  October  Congress  displaced  Gates  and  appointed 
Gen.  Green  to  the  command  of  the  Army  of  the  South. 
This  appointment  was  made  on  the  recommendation 
of  Gen.  Washington  and  gave  great  satisfaction  to 
Mr.  Carroll  and  others  fond  of  Washington.  It  helped 
to  relieve  the  anxiety  in  Maryland  for  there  was  a 
feeling,  and  strong  assurances  that  the  Maryland 
Line  would  get  better  treatment  than  it  had  received 
from  Gates. 

All  these  things  and  many  more  had  taken  place 
and  had  culminated  in  the  condition  mentioned  when 
Corwallis,  the  British  commander,  found  himself  at 
Yorktown,  Virginia,  and  the  armies  of  Washington  and 
Rochambeau  seeking  to  give  battle  to  him. 

The  news  of  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis  reached 
Annapolis  almost  as  soon  as  it  did  Philadelphia. 
Colonel  Tilghman  had  been  dispatched  by  Washington 
to  carry  the  news  to  the  Congress.  He  came  up  on 
the  west  side  of  the  Chesapeake  Bay  riding  as  long 
as  a  horse  could  go  and  then  getting  a  fresh  horse 
and  still  on  till  he  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Patuxent 
River  where  Franklin's  pungy  carried  him  to  the 
Eastern  Shore.  As  each  new  relay  was  required 
Tilghman  called  out  "A  horse  for  the  Continental 
Congress.  Cornwallis  is  taken  "  and  right  quickly 
the  horse  was  furnished.  In  this  way  he  made  the 
trip  from  Yorktown  to  Philadelphia  in  four  days. 
Reaching  the  Eastern  Shore  at  2  o'clock  in  the  morn 
ing  he  could  hardly  be  persuaded  to  sleep  till  day 
light.  He  reached  Philadelphia  well  worn  out  but 
able  to  go  with  Congress  to  the  old  Dutch  Church  to 


200  CHAELES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

give  thanks  for  the  victory  that  had  crowned  the 
efforts  of  the  Colonial  forces. 

As  Mr.  Carroll  was  about  to  start  for  Philadelphia 
news  came  that  Gen.  Clinton  with  a  heavy  fleet  and 
half  his  army  from  New  York  was  in  Chesapeake  Bay. 
He  had  arrived  too  late  to  save  Cornwallis  but  it  was 
feared  that  he  could  lay  waste  Maryland  cities  liable 
to  attack  by  sea.  But  the  panic  in  Maryland  was 
soon  quieted  for  finding  efforts  in  behalf  of  Cornwallis 
useless  and  fearful  that  the  French  fleet  aiding  the 
Americans  might  attack  New  York  the  British  aban 
doned  the  Chesapeake  as  suddenly  as  it  had  appeared 
and  returned  to  the  defense  of  New  York. 

Mr.  Carroll  believed  that  the  surrender  of  Corn 
wallis  would  end  the  war  and  so  assured  his  neighbors 
and  associates. 

But  letters  from  Tilghman  said  that  Washington 
was  preparing  for  another  campaign  and  as  winter 
was  approaching  provisions  must  be  made  for  supply 
ing  the  troops  with  food  till  next  spring. 

Mr.  Carroll  read  every  item  of  news  from  England 
with  the  greatest  interest.  He  heard  of  the  downfall 
of  Lord  North's  ministry  with  great  satisfaction  and 
hoped  for  a  speedy  termination  of  hostilities.  But 
he  realized  that  our  own  affairs  were  so  complicated 
with  those  of  France  that  a  treaty  of  peace  would 
have  to  be  made  with  both  France  and  the  United 
States  at  the  same  time.  This  delay  meant  that  the 
troops  must  be  paid  and  fed.  It  would  not  do  to 
assume  that  the  war  was  over  and  relax  a  single  effort. 
All  were  agreed  on  that. 

On  the  4th  of  March  1782  the  House  of  Commons 
practically  resolved  against  further  effort  to  prose 
cute  the  war  in  North  America.  But  still  the  treaty 
of  peace  was  not  signed  and  the  troops  must  be  kept 
ready  for  action.  At  the  beginning  of  this  year  not  a 


THE  WAR  NEARING  AN  END  201 

dollar  was  in  the  National  Treasury.  Soldiers  and 
contractors  clamored  for  money  and  Washington  was 
almost  discouraged.  But  Mr.  Carroll  and  his  associ 
ates  realized  that  the  Maryland  boys  had  to  be  looked 
after  and  did  their  best  to  make  the  army  hardships 
as  light  as  possible.  The  feeling  that  it  was  nearly 
over  and  that  all  would  soon  return  to  their  homes 
made  the  delays  even  more  irritating. 

But  finally  news  came  that  the  treaty  had  been 
signed,  peace  reigned  and  the  army  would  be  dis 
banded.  On  the  19th  of  April  1782,  just  eight  years 
from  the  date  of  the  battle  of  Lexington  which  began 
the  struggle,  a  proclamation  was  issued  to  the  army 
declaring  that  the  war  was  over. 

Though  in  no  sense  a  bigot  Mr.  Carroll  always 
delighted  in  recalling  the  part  which  people  of  the 
Catholic  faith  took  in  achieving  our  independence.  In 
connection  with  the  close  of  the  war  it  has  been  some 
times  recalled  but  not  often  if  ever  printed  that  nearly 
if  not  quite  70  per  cent  of  the  men  who  won  the  battle 
of  Yorktown  for-  our  cause  and  practically  ended  the 
war  with  Great  Britain  were  men  professing  the 
Roman  Catholic  religion.  At  first  glance  you  wonder 
how  this  could  be  knowing  that  the  Catholics  at  the  time 
formed  but  a  small  per  cent  of  the  population.  But 
you  will  recall  that  the  Army  of  Count  Rochambeau 
of  about  8,000  and  the  men  in  De  Grasse  fleet  some 
2,000  were  Catholic  while  Washington's  Army  num 
bered  some  10,000  of  whom  many  were  Irish,  French 
and  Colonial  Catholics.  So  it  is  well  within  bounds 
to  say  that  70  per  cent  of  the  force  that  captured 
Cornwallis  was  made  up  of  Catholics. 

Joseph  Galloway  of  Philadelphia  who  held  various 
offices  under  the  crown  before  the  Parliamentary 
Commission  in  London  of  which  Burke  was  chairman, 
when  asked  if  the  rebel  army  was  made  up  of  native 


202    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

Americans  replied :  The  names  and  places  of  nativity 
were  taken  down  and  I  can  answer  with  precision 
nearly  one-half  were  Irish  Catholic,  one-fourth  were 
Scotch  and  English  and  one-fourth  native  Americans." 
Major  General  Robertson  the  British  Commander 
testifying  before  the  same  Commission  said  '  '  I  re 
member  General  Lee  telling  me  that  half  the  rebel 
army  were  Irish  Catholics. ' ' 


CHAPTER  XXI 

EARLY  DAYS  OF  PEACE  — THE  NEW  GOVERNMENT 
—  MR  CARROLL  A  UNITED  STATES  SENATOR 

Peace  being  restored,  Mr.  Carroll  felt  the  necessity 
for  giving  some  of  his  time  to  his  business  affairs.  The 
Baltimore  Iron  Works  received  attention  first.  A  let 
ter  from  the  manager,  Mr.  Clement  Brooke,  was  trans 
mitted  to  the  stockholders  with  the  observation  that 
"  the  works  if  carried  on  with  spirit^  and  managed  to 
the  greatest  advantage,  might  certainly  be  made 
profitable;  at  present  they  hardly  clear  themselves. 
How  to  improve  so  improvable  an  estate,  is  the  object 
of  the  proposed  meeting. "  At  the  meeting  a  new 
policy  was  inaugurated  that  proved  profitable. 

As  usual  on  the  meeting  of  the  the  Assembly  Nov. 
3rd  there  was  no  quorum  of  the  Senate.  In  fact 
Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  was  the  only  Senator  on 
hand.  After  waiting  some  days  he  left  the  city  and  on 
the  day  of  the  quorum  the  22nd,  was  not  there  but 
returned  to  his  seat  a  day  or  two  later.  The  Chevalier 
d'Annemous,  Consul  General  of  France  came  to  An 
napolis  to  adjust  some  matters  between  his  office  and 
the  state.  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  and  George 
Plater  represented  the  Senate  on  the  committee  which 
made  these  adjustments. 

An  address  to  General  Washington  was  issued  by  a 
committee  of  the  Senate  and  House.  Charles  Carroll 
of  Carrollton  and  John  Henry  represented  the  Senate 
and  Mr.  Carroll  performed  most  of  the  work  of  pre 
paring  the  address.  Daniel  Carroll,  President  of  the 
Senate,  being  ill,  it  was  necessary  to  elect  a  new  Presi 
dent  and  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  was  selected. 

[203] 


204    CHAELES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

At  this  session  The  Susquehanna  Consul  was  incor 
porated  with  Samuel  Hughes,  Augustine  Washington, 
Henry  Lee,  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  and  others 
as  proprietors. 

John  Henry  and  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  were 
the  members  of  a  joint  committee  to  prepare  and 
present  an  address  to  General  Lafayette,  which  was 
done. 

Some  years  before  a  company  had  been  formed 
under  the  name  of  The  Potomac  Company,  the  object 
being  to  open  and  extend  the  navigation  of  the  Poto 
mac  River.  The  war  had  retarded  this  work  but  now 
it  was  deemed  desirable  to  take  it  up  again.  For  this 
purpose  the  Assembly  appointed  a  committee  com 
posed  of  Thomas  Stone,  Samuel  Hughes  and  Charles 
Carroll.  The  State  of  Virginia  appointed  General 
Washington  and  Gen.  Gates  and  these  formed  the 
joint  committee  of  the  two  States.  This  committee 
perfected  the  plans  and  a  new  Potomac  Company  was 
organized  with  Gen.  Washington  as  president  and  the 
Stoles  of  Virginia  and  Maryland  each  subscribed  for 
stock.  A  road  was  also  to  be  built  from  the  head 
waters  of  the  Potomac  to  the  Ohio  River,  a  distance 
of  forty  miles. 

A  credit  bill  was  passed  but  it  did  not  meet  the 
approval  of  Mr.  Carroll  who  filed  a  sharp  dissenting 
opinion. 

The  disputed  boundary  between  Maryland  and 
Virginia  had  not  been  settled.  A  committee  was 
named  to  meet  a  similar  committee  from  Virginia. 
Instructions  to  the  Maryland  members  were  prepared 
by  a  committee  of  which  Mr.  Carroll  was  chairman. 
This  joint  committee  met  at  Alexandria,  adjourned  to 
Mt.  Vernon  and  there  formed  the  commercial  compact 
which  finally  led  to  the  commercial  union  that  ulti 
mately  resulted  in  the  convention  which  formed  the 


EARLY  DAYS  OF  PEACE       205 

Constitution  that  so  changed  the  character  of  the  rela 
tions  which  the  thirteen  States  bore  to  each  other. 

The  trouble  over  the  Maryland  investment  in  the 
stock  of  the  Bank  of  England  had  not  been  settled. 
Samuel  Chase  who  had  been  sent  to  London  to  collect 
it  had  not  succeeded.  He  handed  in  his  commission 
to  defray  expenses  and  this  was  allowed  the  sum  being 
500.  Charles  Carroll  and  Edward  Lloyd  voted  against 
the  allowance.  The  matter  of  removing  the  disability 
of  the  Tories  was  discussed  but  Mr.  Carroll  thought 
the  time  for  this  had  not  yet  come. 

The  repeal  of  laws  repugnant  to  the  treaty  of  peace 
were  in  order  and  these  with  the  bank  stock  trouble 
and  a  debtors  bill  took  up  a  good  deal  of  the  time  of 
the  session. 

A  Federal  Convention  was  to  meet  in  Philadelphia 
April  23.  Mr.  Carroll  was  elected  a  delegate  but 
declined  to  serve  on  account  of  a  pressure  of  public 
and  private  business.  About  this  time  Charles  Car 
roll  of  Carrollton  became  deeply  interested  in  a  proj 
ect  for  establishing  a  Jesuit  College  in  Georgetown. 
Mr.  Carroll  headed  the  list  of  gentlemen  in  Maryland 
who  were  to  solicit  subscriptions. 

His  son  Charles  was  sent  abroad  in  1785  to  be  edu 
cated  in  Europe  as  his  father  and  other  Carrolls 
before  him  had  been. 

A  family  picture  shows  the  departure  of  young 
Charles  and  the  portraits  are  said  to  be  very  good. 
Patrick,  the  colored  boy,  about  the  same  age  as  the 
departing  son,  shows  in  the  picture.  This  Patrick  was 
the  father  of  Patrick,  the  family  servant,  of  the  Car- 
rolls,  known  to  so  many  of  the  present  generation. 

Mary  Carroll  was  married  to  Richard  Caton,  an 
Englishman,  who  had  settled  in  Maryland. 

In  1788  the  Maryland  Senate  had  before  it  the  work 
of  the  late  Federal  Convention.  A  committee  of  four 


206    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

to  report  on  the  proposed  Constitution  was  named  and 
included  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  and  Daniel 
Carroll.  It  was  decided  after  some  controversy  to 
hold  a  convention  to  consider  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States  which  had  been  prepared.  This  con 
vention  was  made  up  of  members  elected  the  3rd  Mon 
day  of  January  and  it  met  in  Annapolis  in  the  follow 
ing  March.  The  act  calling  the  convention  provided 
that  if  it  indorsed  the  Constitution  notice  to  that  effect 
should  be  given  to  the  Congress.  There  was  much 
opposition  but  the  Constitution  was  finally  ratified  and 
notice  to  that  effect  was  accordingly  given  to  Com- 
gress.  One  party  known  as  the  Federalists  were  vigor 
ously  in  favor  of  adopting  the  Constitution  as  pre 
sented  and  this  party  had  its  way  throughout.  It  is 
pretty  certain  that  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton 
voted  with  this  party  all  along,  though  the  record  does 
not  show  much  as  details  of  the  doings. 

Mr.  Carroll  was  active  in  the  proceedings  of  the 
State  Senate,  serving  on  and  doing  much  of  the  work 
of  the  most  important  committees. 

Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  was  elected  a  United 
States  Senator  to  represent  the  State  of  Maryland. 
John  Henry  was  the  other  Senator  and  the  delegates 
to  the  Lower  House  of  Congress  were  Daniel  Carroll, 
William  Smith  and  George  Gale.  The  Congress  of 
1789  which  was  the  first  under  the  Federal  Constitu 
tion  met  in  the  city  of  New  York.  All  the  Maryland 
delegation  except  Senator  Henry  had  rooms  in  the 
house  No.  52  Smith  Street.  The  Senate  sat  with 
closed  doors  and  the  records  of  its  doings  are  very 
meager.  Only  actual  results  after  the  conclusions  had 
been  reached  are  of  record.  Mr.  Carroll  took  his  seat 
April  13th  and  was  made  a  member  of  the  Judiciary 
Committee. 

The  questions  of  titles  for  the  President  and  other 


EARLY  DAYS  OF  PEACE       207 

officials  came  up.  Mr.  Carroll  was  opposed  to  such 
official  designations  and  his  views  prevailed.  There 
was  a  heated  discussion  over  the  question  of  Con 
gress  accompanying  the  President  to  St.  Paul's 
Church  and  attending  divine  service.  Mr.  Carroll  did 
not  regard  the  discussion  worth  the  time  that  was 
given  to  it  and  refused  to  vote  against  the  motion.  He 
didn  't  oppose,  and  went  to  church.  He  was  a  Federal 
ist  and  the  Federalists  were  mostly  on  the  side  of 
going  to  church  with  the  President  and  the  other  party 
then  designated  as  the  Republican  Federalists  opposed 
the  act.  Mr.  Carroll  was  a  Federalist  and  stood  with 
his  party. 

In  connection  with  the  inauguration  of  the  Presi 
dent,  some  matters  of  precedent  came  up  when  one  of 
the  members  explained  what  etiquette  in  England 
called  for.  Mr.  Carroll  answered  that  it  made  no 
difference  whatever,  how  they  did  things  in  England, 
as  that  country  was  no  longer  a  precedent  for  them. 

The  first  social  function  by  the  new  President  was 
a  box  party  at  the  theatre  May  llth.  The  guests  were 
the  Governor  of  New  York,  the  French  and  Spanish 
Ministers  and  ten  Senators,  both  the  Maryland  Sena 
tors,  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  and  John  Henry 
being  of  the  party.  A  number  of  ladies  were  also 
guests  and  the  play  wTas  "  The  School  for  Scandal  ' 
following  a  curtain  raiser  described  as  a  screaming 
farce  "  The  Old  Soldier. " 

The  familiar  subject  of  duties  on  imports  was  one 
of  the  first  and  most  important  to  demand  the  atten 
tion  of  this  first  Congress.  In  fact,  tariff  and  titles 
held  much  of  the  attention  of  the  session. 

Mr.  Carroll  took  an  earnest  part  in  the  work  of 
deciding  how  the  "  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate  " 
should  be  given  to  the  President's  nominations.  The 


208    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

motion  to  decide  by  ballot  was  forcibly  and  success 
fully  opposed  by  Mr.  Carroll  who  favored  the  viva 
voce  method  as  the  only  fair  one. 

Mr.  Carroll  also  opposed  giving  the  President  power 
of  removal  where  the  power  to  appoint  had  been  with 
the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate.  He  argued 
earnestly  that  "  the  deposing  power  should  be  the 
same  as  the  appointing  power. 

The  act  establishing  Federal  courts  was  passed.  It 
had  the  support  of  Mr.  Carroll  as  he  was  on  the  com 
mittee  that  prepared  it.  On  the  question  of  salaries 
one  commenting  on  the  doings  says,  "  the  doctrine 
seemed  to  be  that  all  worth  was  wealth,  and  all  dignity 
of  character  consisted  in  expensive  living,  but  Mr. 
Carroll  of  Maryland  though  the  richest  man  in  the 
Senate  was  not  with  them." 

There  was  a  great  struggle  over  locating  the  seat 
of  government.  It  was  decided  that  a  district  ten 
miles  square  be  selected.  But  where? 

As  the  Constitution  was  first  adopted,  there  was  no 
provision  guaranteeing  religious  liberty,  but  the  very 
first  amendment  added  to  the  original  document  for 
bids  Congress  to  make  any  law  respecting  the  estab 
lishment  of  religion  or  prohibiting  the  free  exercise 
thereof.  The  amendment  as  originally  prepared  was 
that  "  no  religion  shall  be  established  by  law,  neither 
shall  the  equal  rights  of  conscience  be  infringed." 
Many  of  the  members  thought  that  this  amendment 
was  unnecessary  inasmuch  as  Congress  had  no  power 
delegated  to  it  by  the  original  Constitution  to  establish 
a  national  religion,  and  this  view  was  probably  cor 
rect;  but  the  first  Congress  wished  to  leave  no  doubt 
on  the  subject.  No  member  seems  to  have  opposed 
the  resolution  for  the  amendment. 

Mr.  Carroirs  remarks  on  the  subject  were  extremely 
gentle  and  breathed  the  spirit  of  that  liberty  of  con- 


EARLY  DAYS  OF  PEACE       209 

science  which  was  one  of  the  traditions  of  the  State 
he  represented.    He  said: 

As  the  rights  of  conscience  are,  in  their 
nature,  of  peculiar  delicacy,  and  will  little  bear 
the  gentlest  touch  of  the  governmental  hand ;  and 
as  many  sects  have  concurred  in  opinion,  that  they 
are  not  well  secured  under  the  present  Constitu 
tion,  he  said  he  was  much  in  favor  of  adopting  the 
words.  He  thought  it  would  tend  more  towards 
conciliating  the  minds  of  the  people  to  the  Govern 
ment  than  almost  any  other  amendment  he  had 
heard  proposed.  He  would  not  contend  with  gen 
tlemen  about  the  phraseology,  his  object  was  to 
secure  the  substance  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
satisfy  the  wishes  of  the  honest  part  of  the  com 
munity. 

As  Mr.  Carroll  was  still  a  member  of  the  Maryland 
Assembly  he  hurried  home  after  the  adjournment  of 
Congress  Sept.  29th.  He  spent  the  intervening  time 
till  the  meeting  of  the  Assembly  at  Doughoregan 
Manor  and  on  the  meeting  of  the  Assembly  Nov.  4th 
was  at  Annapolis  and  in  his  place  as  a  Senator  of  the 
State  of  Maryland. 

Mr.  Paca  was  elected  Governor.  Charles  Carroll 
of  Carrollton  and  Mathew  Tilghman  were  named  as  a 
committee  of  the  Senate  to  draw  up  an  address  of 
approval  and  thanks  to  the  retiring  Governor. 

The  State  appropriated  the  house,  grounds  and  fur 
niture  of  Governor  Eden  for  the  use  of  the  Executive 
till  some  further  determination  should  be  reached. 

Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  and  Col.  Eichard 
Barnes  were  directed  to  inquire  into  a  contract  made 
by  the  House  with  Frederick  Green  for  printing  the 
laws  of  the  State. 

A  bill  to  regulate  the  militia  was  passed  but  one 
to  settle  and  pay  the  Civil  list  was  rejected  because  the 
Senate  considered  the  allowances  too  high.  Charles 


210  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

Carroll  of  Carrollton  and  James  McHenry  entered 
their  "  dissent." 

General  Rochambeau  visited  Annapolis  in  January 
and  was  most  hospitably  entertained  at  the  public 
expense.  The  Assembly  voted  an  address  to  him 
which  was  prepared  by  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton, 
Charles  Carroll,  barrister,  and  Edward  Lloyd. 

The  military  bill  afforded  a  cause  of  dispute  between 
the  two  houses  but  was  finally  passed,  Charles  Carroll 
of  Carrollton  dissenting  and  filing  reasons  therefor. 

The  spring  of  1783  found  the  gay  city  of  Annapolis 
even  gayer  than  usual.  In  addition  to  the  ordinary 
matters  of  interest  the  Continental  Congress  met  here 
and  great  crowds  assembled  to  witness  the  proceedings 
of  this  body  which  were  of  especial  interest  because 
this  year  was  the  year  that  peace  was  declared  and 
Annapolis  as  the  national  capital  took  a  big  part  in 
the  universal  rejoicing.  The  great  celebration  took 
place  on  Carroll's  green.  An  ox  and  many  sheep  and 
calves  were  roasted  and  eatables  of  every  kind  and 
variety  were  provided  for  the  multitude.  Many  French 
officers  who  had  participated  in  the  war  were  present 
as  the  guests  of  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton. 

April  21,  was  the  meeting  day  for  the  Maryland 
Senate  but  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  was  the  only 
Senator  present.  Early  in  May  a  quorum  was  on 
hand  and  the  first  matter  for  consideration  was  the 
Articles  of  Peace ;  after  which  the  serious  and  arduous 
work  of  adjusting  the  new  government  to  the  new 
condition  was  in  order. 

Charles  Carroll,  barrister,  died  at  this  time  leaving 
no  issue. 

The  Assembly  provided  for  the  accommodation  of 
Congress  by  furnishing  the  Stadt  house  for  meetings, 
with  the  Governor's  house  for  the  President  and 


EARLY  DAYS  OF  PEACE       211 

thirteen  dwelling  houses  one  for  the  use  of  the  dele 
gation  from  each  of  the  thirteen  States. 

During  the  session,  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton 
filed  an  able  and  fearless  paper  against  a  bill  author 
izing  judges  to  strike  from  the  list  of  attorneys  the 
names  of  men  who  had  been  disloyal  to  the  govern 
ment.  The  paper  was  a  candid  review  of  the  condi 
tions  and  was  considered  an  able,  fearless  and  incisive 
challenge  of  the  good  purposes  of  the  law. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

RESIGNS  AS  A  SENATOR  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 
THAT  HE  MAY  REMAIN  A  SENATOR  OF  MARY 
LAND  —  THE  INDIAN  COMMERCE 

The  first  real  trouble  in  Congress  was  about  pro 
viding  the  machinery  for  handling  our  foreign  affairs. 
The  Vice-president  in  his  "  Tales  of  a  Traveller  " 
showed  his  opinion  of  the  importance  of  diplomacy 
and  the  influence  of  diplomats.  But  when  the  bill 
came  to  the  Senate  for  making  provision  for  these 
officers  there  was  much  opposition  to  such  offices.  Mr. 
Maclay  of  Pennsylvania  did  not  believe  in  the  neces 
sity  for  such  expenditures.  He  would  have  no  ambassa 
dors  nor  ministers.  "  They  would  cost  a  great  deal 
and  do  no  good  ' '  he  held.  The  bill  was  finally  refer 
red  to  a  committee  composed  of  Senators  Story,  Ells 
worth,  Carroll,  Maclay  and  Few.  This  committee  met 
the  Secretary  of  State,  Thomas  Jefferson.  Maclay 
says  Jefferson  had  a  face  with  a  sunny  aspect,  but  was 
wanting  in  dignity.  Evidently  Mr.  Jefferson  was  in 
favor  of  the  country  being  represented  in  the  other 
countries,  for  Maclay  says  "  Jefferson  had  been  long 
enough  abroad  to  catch  the  tone  of  European  folly. ' ' 
Finally  salaries  were  left  to  the  President  to  fix. 

Then  came  up  again  the  bill  to  fix  the  permanent 
location  of  the  national  capital.  There  was  much 
excitement  and  some  scheming.  The  temporary  resi 
dence  of  the  seat  of  government  caused  as  much  inter 
est  as  the  task  of  finding  a  permanent  home.  The 
House  of  Eepresentatives  voted  for  Baltimore  as  the 
temporary  place.  Philadelphia  was  a  strong  bidder 
and  many  Senators  wanted  to  remain  in  New  York  tilll 

[213] 


214    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

the  permanent  home  was  selected  and  ready  for 
occupancy.  Mr.  Carroll  finally  favored  a  bill  which 
provided  for  a  residence  of  ten  years  in  Philadelphia 
after  which  the  capital  should  be  on  the  Potomac  as  a 
permanent  location. 

A  postroad  bill  occupied  much  of  Mr.  Carroll's  time 
during  the  remainder  of  the  session  and  was  evidently 
a  matter  of  great  importance. 

The  capital  residence  bill  came  up  and  Mr.  Carroll 
furthered  it  in  the  Senate  and  Mr.  Madison  in  the 
House.  The  President  was  in  favor  of  the  capital 
being  located  on  the  Potomac.  Mr.  Maclay  spoke  of 
Senators  favoring  the  Potomac  as  the  Carroll  crowd. 
Mr.  Maclay  says  it  was  the  influence  of  Washington 
and  his  crowd  that  carried  the  Potomac  scheme. 

The  funding  bill  and  the  bill  providing  that  the  gen 
eral  government  shall  assume  the  debts  created  by  the 
States  in  conducting  the  Revolutionary  War  were  taken 
up,  Mr.  Carroll  having  an  active  interest  and  doing 
much  of  the  work  both  in  the  committee  and  on  the  floor 
of  the  Senate.  He  was  usually  with  Mr.  Hamilton. 
Party  lines  were  now  being  drawn  pretty  closely  with 
the  followers  of  Hamilton  on  the  one  side  and  those  of 
Jefferson  on  the  other.  Mr.  Carroll  as  chairman  of 
the  committee  reported  in  favor  of  a  plan  for  the 
states  to  loan  to  the  general  government  a  sum  not 
exceeding  twenty-two  millions  of  dollars. 

Mr.  Maclay  claimed  that  the  funding  bill  was  the 
assumption  bill  and  the  rest  of  the  financial  legislation 
was  wrapped  up  in  the  capital  votes  of  the  states 
having  big  debts  that  they  wanted  to  unload  on  the 
general  government.  It  was  a  case  of  if  you  will  vote 
with  us  on  the  capital  location  we  will  vote  with  you  on 
your  pet  financial  measures.  Anyway  Hamilton's 
financial  scheme  and  Washington's  capital  scheme 
both  went  through  early  and  by  much  the  same 


RESIGNS  AS  SENATOR  215 

influence.  Mr.  Carroll  always  on  the  lookout  for  the 
interest  of  Maryland  wrote  to  Governor  Howard  sug 
gesting  that  the  State  select  an  agent  to  look  after  its 
interest  in  adjusting  claims  with  the  national  govern 
ment. 

Mr.  Carroll  appeared  in  the  Maryland  Senate  on 
Nov.  12th  and  was  put  on  a  committee  with  Mr.  Henry 
to  study  the  subject  of  revising  the  State  Constitution. 
Mr.  Carroll  was  re-elected  to  the  United  States  Senate 
during  this  session  of  the  Maryland  Assembly. 

Upon  the  adjournment  of  the  Maryland  Senate  Mr. 
Carroll  hurried  to  Philadelphia  to  take  his  seat  in  the 
United  States  Senate.  Philadelphia  was  made  the 
temporary  seat  of  government  for  ten  years  by  the 
Potomac  act  and  Congress  met  here  December,  1790. 

Congress  over,  he  went  in  March,  to  make  a  study  of 
the  Baltimore  Iron  Works  with  the  idea  of  improving 
conditions  there.  At  the  second  session  of  the  first 
Congress  the  North  Carolina  Senators  appeared  and 
were  seated.  North  Carolina  had  by  this  time  ratified 
the  Constitution.  Mr.  Maclay,  a  leading  Anti-Federal 
ist,  (Democrat)  says  of  Washington,  "  he  is  only  a 
man  but  a  very  fine  one.  We  have  nothing  to  fear 
from  him  but  much  from  the  precedents  he  will 
establish. ' ' 

By  this  time  John  Adams  was  beginning  to  show  a 
kind  of  resentment  or  spite  toward  Mr.  Carroll.  Both 
were  Federalists  and  both  had  taken  the  radical  side 
in  the  Continental  Congress.  But  Adams  had  three 
objections  to  Mr.  Carroll.  The  first  was  Mr.  Carroll's 
great  wealth,  the  second  that  he  was  a  Eoman  Catholic 
and  the  third  that  Carroll,  Washington  and  Franklin 
had  carried  to  success  the  French  support  and  alliance 
without  him.  In  fact  they  had  done  it  in  spite  of  him 
for  he  acted  in  a  way  to  cause  that  work  to  be  harder 
to  accomplish.  Mr.  Maclay  gives  a  conversation 


216    CHARLES  CAEEOLL  OF  CAEEOLLTON 

between  Adams  and  Carroll  that  took  place  in  his 
presence  in  which  Adams  almost  passed  the  line  of 
gentility  in  speaking  of  Mr.  Carroll's  estate  which  he 
called  an  Empire. 

On  the  22nd  of  April  the  news  of  the  death  of  Ben 
jamin  Franklin  reached  the  country.  Mr.  Carroll,  his 
most  confidential  friend  in  public  life,  moved  that  the 
Senators  wear  crape  for  a  month  in  honor  of  his 
memory,  as  the  House  had  resolved  to  do.  Mr.  Maclay 
says,  "  I  seconded  the  motion  but  as  some  one  objected 
because  crape  had  not  been  worn  for  Grayson,  Mr. 
Carroll  looked  at  me.  I  nodded  and  he  withdrew  the 
motion.  Chas.  Carroll  of  Carrollton  felt  deeply  the 
death  of  his  close  friend.  They  had  made  the  trip  to 
Canada  together  and  earnestly  and  successfully  they 
had  planned  and  worked  and  struggled  for  the  assist 
ance  of  France  in  the  cause  of  the  colonies. 

Ehode  Island  had  not  ratified  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States  and  there  was  much  ado  about 
what  should  be  done  with  that  State.  Mr.  Carroll 
reported  a  bill  to  cut  off  intercourse  and  to  prevent 
her  sending  any  goods  into  the  United  States.  The 
bill  was  amended  in  immaterial  ways  and  put  upon  its 
passage.  The  question  of  State  Eights  was  here  raised 
as  a  live  issue  for  the  first  time.  The  Federalists 
voted  for  the  bill  and  the  Anti-Federalists,  (Demo 
crats)  voted  against  it. 

Congress  met  in  October  and  so  did  the  Maryland 
legislative.  Mr.  Carroll  served  his  State  in  the  Mary 
land  Senate  and  John  Henry  attended  the  session  of 
the  United  States  Senate.  Both  men  were  members 
of  both  these  bodies. 

Mr.  Carroll  in  the  Maryland  Senate  was  on  two 
important  committees,  one  for  preparing  a  bill  for  the 
relief  of  insolvent  debtors  and  the  other  to  prepare  a 
State  law  in  connection  with  ceding  the  territory  to  the 


RESIGNS  AS  SENATOR  217 

United  States  which  should  constitute  the  Federal  Dis 
trict. 

Mr.  Carroll  prepared  a  resolution  instructing  the 
Maryland  Senators  John  Henry  and  Charles  Carroll 
of  Carrollton  to  urge  the  Senate  of  the  United  States 
to  transact  its  business  with  open  doors. 

The  Maryland  Assembly  adjourned  and  Mr.  Car 
roll  went  at  once  to  take  his  seat  in  the  Senate  of  the 
United  States. 

Parties  were  now  well  crystalized  and  in  a  general 
way  the  division  was  on  lines  that  continued  for 
generations. 

Mr.  Carroll  on  October  22,  wrote  a  letter  to  Hamil 
ton  going  somewhat  into  the  political  situation.  He 
regards  the  Federalists  as  the  "  Friends  of  Stability, 
in  other  words  the  real  friends  of  the  government/' 
and  is  rather  suspicious  of  the  intentions  of  the  other 
party  —  the  Anti-Federalists. 

The  Maryland  Senate  met  November  5.  It  was  a 
busy  Senate  and  a  law  was  passed  making  United 
States  Senators,  members  of  Congress  and  others  hold 
ing  office  under  the  United  States  ineligible  as  Mem 
bers  of  the  Maryland  Assembly.  Mr.  Carroll  there 
fore  had  to  give  up  his  position  as  a  Maryland  Senator 
or  as  a  United  States  Senator.  He  promptly  resigned 
his  place  in  the  United  States  Senate,  preferring  to 
serve  his  State.  This  he  evidently  considered  as  the 
most  useful  and  most  honorable  of  the  two  places. 
The  Militia  bill  was  the  burning  question  of  this  ses 
sion.  Mr.  Carroll  wrote  a  very  interesting  account  of 
this  session  to  his  former  colleague  Mr.  John  Henry. 

The  interest  of  the  State  of  Maryland  in  the  stock 
of  the  Bank  of  England  was  still  a  subject  of  conten 
tion  in  1798. 

The  death  of  General  Washington  was  announced  in 
the  Maryland  legislature  January  1,  1800. 


218  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

Charles  Carroll  and  Uriah  Forest  were  named  as  a 
committee  of  the  Senate  to  report  an  appropriate 
memorial  adress.  A  writer  of  that  day  says,  "  One 
never  witnessed  a  more  touching  sight  than  those  two 
men  standing  at  the  rostrum  of  the  Senate  with  tears 
streaming  down  their  cheeks  and  trying  to  speak  of 
their  loved  comrade  who  had  just  passed  away. "  This 
act  of  paying  a  personal  and  public  tribute  to  the  man 
he  so  loved  was  one  of  the  last  acts  of  an  official 
nature  in  the  life  of  Mr.  Carroll. 

The  party  of  Jefferson,  now  known  as  the  Repub 
lican  or  Democratic  party,  having  come  into  power 
both  in  Maryland  and  in  National  affairs,  Charles 
Carroll  of  Carrollton  retired  to  private  life  and  gave 
much  of  his  time  to  public  good  in  ways  that  will  be 
told  hereafter. 

Baltimore  town  became  Baltimore  city  by  action  on 
the  report  of  a  committee  headed  by  Mr.  Carroll.  He 
also  had  charge  of  a  bill  which  became  a  law  providing 
for  an  annual  lottery  in  aid  of  the  new  city  of 
Washington. 

Mr.  Carroll  was  in  favor  of  the  gradual  abolition  of 
slavery  and  introduced  a  bill  in  the  Maryland  Senate 
with  this  end  in  view,  but  it  did  not  pass. 

Mr.  Carroll,  following  the  traditions  of  his  family 
and  of  the  Lords  Proprietor  of  Maryland,  was  always 
kind,  careful  and  considerate  of  the  Indians.  The 
friendly  feeling  and  just  treatment  of  the  Indians  of 
Maryland  was  everywhere  known.  There  were  no 
massacres  of  the  whites  by  Indians  and  little  or  no 
swindling  of  Indians  by  the  white  people.  The  Pro 
prietors  made  conveyances  subject  to  the  claims  of  the 
Indians  and  it  was  necessary  to  make  a  deal  with  any 
Indians  on  it  before  taking  possession  of  a  grant. 
This  was  generally  easy  of  accomplishment,  for  the 


RESIGNS  AS  SENATOR  219 

Indians,  mindful  of  the  vast  acreages  further  back, 
were  usually  quite  ready  to  sell  out  for  a  consideration. 
Mr.  Carroll  knew  how  to  handle  the  Indians.  Both  he 
arid  his  cousin,  Rev.  John  Carroll,  had  had  such 
experience  and  full  knowledge  of  the  red  men  as 
enabled  these  two  men  to  treat  successfully  with  the 
Indians  of  the  north  and  to  keep  them  from  joining 
the  British  at  the  commencement  of  the  Revolutionary 
war. 

During  Washington's  administration  war  broke  out 
in  what  is  now  the  State  of  Ohio.  In  1793,  after  a 
treaty  with  the  Miamis  and  other  Indians  of  that  ter 
ritory  had  been  concluded,  the  sub-chiefs  refused  to 
accept  the  treaty  and  went  on  the  war  path.  The  army 
headquarter  was  at  Fort  Washington  near  the  mouth 
of  the  Miami  river,  where  the  city  of  Cincinnati  now 
stands,  and  General  St.  Clair  was  designated  as  com- 
mander-in-chief,  and  sent  to  quell  the  outbreak.  He 
left  the  east  with  instructions  given  by  General  Wash 
ington,  who  was  a  skilled  Indian  fighter,  and  knew  the 
ways  of  the  red  men.  He  sent  St.  Clair  with  full 
instructions  and  above  all  impressed  on  him  to  beware 
of  a  surprise.  In  spite  of  all  this  St.  Clair  marched 
his  forces  from  Fort  Washington  to  what  is  now 
Mercon  county,  Ohio,  and  encamped  for  the  night. 
Regardless  of  what  Washington  had  told  him,  his 
force  was  surprised  by  the  Indians  and  badly  beaten, 
with  terrible  loss.  The  country  was  dazed  at  such  a 
slaughter  of  the  troops.  Hardly  such  a  disaster  had 
occurred  during  the  Revolutionary  war  likely.  The 
Indians  were  so  elated  as  to  make  a  terrible  Indian  war 
likely.  But  St.  Clair  was  succeeded  by  "  Mad  " 
Anthony  Wayne  and  the  Indians  were  soon  so  far  sub 
dued  as  to  want  peace. 

At  this  stage  it  was  necessary  for  Washington  to 


220  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

bring  to  his  aid  the  ablest  and  most  experienced  men 
available  and  he  wrote  the  following  letters  to  Mr. 
Carroll: 

To  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton, 

Philadelphia,  23rd  of  January,  1793. 
Dear  Sir: 

The  western  indians  having  proposed  to  us  a 
conference,  at  Auglaise,  not  far  from  Detroit,  in 
the  ensuing  spring,  I  am  now  about  to  proceed  to 
nominate  three  commissioners  to  meet  and  treat 
with  them  on  the  subject  of  peace.  What  may  be 
the  issue  of  the  conference,  it  is  difficult  to  foresee, 
but  it  is  extremely  essential  that  whatever  it  be  it 
should  carry  with  it  the  perfect  confidence  of  our 
citizens  that  every  endeavor  will  have  been  used 
to  obtain  peace,  which  their  interest  would  permit. 
For  this  reason  it  is  necessary  that  characters  be 
appointed  who  are  known  to  our  citizens  for  their 
talents  and  integrity,  and  whose  situation  in  life 
places  them  clear  of  every  suspicion  of  a  wish  to 
prolong  the  war :  or  say  rather  whose  interests  in 
common  with  that  of  their  country,  is  clearly  to 
produce  peace.  Characters  uniting  these  disider- 
ata,  do  not  abound.  Some  of  them  are  now  in 
office  inconsistent  with  the  appointment  now  in 
question,  and  others  under  impediments  of  health 
or  other  circumstances,  so  as  to  circumscribe  the 
choice  within  a  small  circle.  Desirous  in  the  first 
instance  that  you  should  be  on  this  commission  I 
have  mentioned  these  difficulties  to  show  you,  in 
the  event  of  your  declining  how  serious  they  are, 
and  to  induce  you  to  come  forward  and  perform 
this  important  service  to  your  country,  a  service 
with  which  its  prosperity  and  tranquility  are 
intimately  connected. 

It  will  be  necessary  to  set  out  for  this  place 
about  the  1st  of  May.  The  route  will  be  by  the 
North  River  and  Niagara.  It  will  be  safe,  and  the 
measures  for  your  comfortable  transportation  and 


RESIGNS  AS  SENATOR  221 

subsistence  will  be  taken  as  effectually  as  circum 
stances  will  admit. 

Will  you  then,  permit  me  sir,  to  nominate  you  as 
one  of  the  Commissioners  with  a  certain  reliance 
on  your  acceptance? 

Your  answer  to  this  by  the  first  post  will  oblige, 
dear  sir, 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON. 

Mr.  Carroll  was  not  able  to  accept  this  duty  and  so 
wrote  the  President. 

Beverly  Randolph,  Timothy  Pickering  and  Ben 
jamin  Lincoln  were  afterwards  appointed  and  con 
cluded  a  treaty  with  the  Indians  that  formed  the  basis 
of  a  permanent  peace. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

ATTENTION  TO  THE  ESTATE  — DEATH  OF  HIS  SON 
CHARLES  OF  HOMESTEAD 

In  February,  1801,  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton, 
who  had  been  giving  much  attention  to  the  details  of 
his  vast  estate  wrote  that  he  now  had  everything  in 
good  order,  with  the  accounts  clear  and  regular  and  in 
the  condition  he  would  like  to  leave  them  when  he 
departed. 

He  was  in  favor  of  the  election  of  Burr  over  Jeffer 
son,  and  hoped  that  Burr  would  be  chosen  by  the  House 
of  Eepresentatives.  He  was  much  disgusted  with  the 
opinion  of  Jefferson  as  a  party  man  and  believed  he 
could  not  act  with  wisdom  if  the  views  he  expressed 
in  a  newspaper  article  were  his  real  sentiments.  Burr, 
he  thought,  might  be  as  much  of  a  hypocrite  as  Jeffer 
son,  but  he  believed  him  to  be  a  "  firm  steady  man, 
possessing  great  energy  and  decision. ' ' 

After  his  retirement  from  public  life,  Mr.  Carroll 
spent  a  good  deal  of  time  with  his  daughter,  Mrs. 
Caton.  Her  husband  was  an  English  gentleman  who 
had  settled  on  a  beautiful  estate  given  to  Mrs.  Caton 
by  her  father  in  Baltimore  county  called  Brook- 
landwood.  It  was  surrounded  by  fine  estates  of 
other  wealthy  people  and  the  spot  is  now  known  as 
Catonsville. 

Charles  Carroll,  Jr.,  on  the  17th  of  July,  1800,  had 
married  Harriet,  daughter  of  Hon.  Benjamin  Chew, 
Chief  Justice  of  Pennsylvania,  and  of  the  same  family 
as  the  Chews  of  Virginia  and  Maryland.  Judge  Chew 
had  six  daughters,  all  famous  beauties,  in  Pennsyl 
vania  and  New  York  society.  Mrs.  Charles  Carroll 
was  the  sister  of  Mrs.  John  Eager  Howard,  also  of 

[223] 


224  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

Maryland,  and  though  much  younger,  a  political  and 
personal  friend  of  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton. 

Colonel  Howard  was  also  a  man  of  great  wealth  and 
liberality.  He  gave  to  the  city  of  Baltimore  the  land 
on  which  the  Washington  Monument  stands. 

In  a  letter  about  this  time  Mr.  Carroll  writes  to  his 
son  about  some  business  matter  and  urging  prompt 
ness  says  "  Do  not  neglect  to  attend  to  this  matter.  He 
who  postpones  till  tomorrow  what  can,  and  ought  to  be 
done  today,  will  never  thrive  in  this  world.  It  was  not 
by  procrastination  that  this  estate  was  acquired;  but 
by  activity,  thought,  perseverance  and  economy;  and 
by  the  same  means  it  must  be  preserved  and  prevented 
from  melting  away. ' ' 

On  July  25,  1801,  a  son  was  born  to  the  family  of 
Charles,  Jr.,  and  sending  his  congratulations  on  this 
event  Mr.  Carroll  says,  "  I  sincerely  rejoice  with  you 
on  the  recent  happy  event,  the  birth  of  your  son.  May 
this  child  when  grown  to  manhood  be  a  comfort  to  his 
parents  in  the  decline  of  life,  and  support  the  reputa 
tion  of  the  family. "  His  letters  to  Mr.  Harper  contain 
many  allusions  to  public  affairs.  Regarding  a  speech 
of  Mr.  Giles,  he  admits  its  ability,  but  says  "  I  sus 
pect  that  Jefferson,  Madison  and  Giles  have  clubbed 
heads  to  produce  that  artificial  piece  of  sophistry. " 

The  correspondence  of  Mr.  Carroll  at  this  time  is 
interesting  chiefly  as  showing  the  great  intelligence 
and  deep  piety  of  the  man.  In  a  letter  to  young 
Charles  at  the  Manor  and  written  from  the  home  of 
Mrs.  Caton,  he  says  in  conclusion,  "  Be  frugal,  be 
thoughtful,  be  methodical.  You  will  have  great  occa 
sion  for  the  exercise  of  all  these  qualities. "  He  says, 
also,  *  *  Take  exercise.  Exercise  body  and  mind.  Both 
will  become  torpid  and  diseased  if  exercise  and  study 
be  neglected  and  disused." 


DEATH  OF  HIS  SON  225 

And  in  another  letter  he  says  "  In  improving  your 
mind,  remember  your  God.  The  fear  of  the  Lord,  says 
the  wise  man,  is  the  beginning  of  wisdom.  Without 
virtue  there  can  be  no  happiness ;  and  without  religion 
no  virtue ;  consider  yourself  as  always  in  the  presence 
of  the  Almighty.  If  this  sentiment  be  strong  and  vivid, 
you  will  never  sin  or  commit  any  action  you  would  be 
ashamed  to  commit  before  man  "  and  this  letter  con 
cludes  "And  peace,  oh  virtue,  peace  is  all  thine  own. 
God  bless  you." 

In  1801  Catherine  Carroll  married  Robert  Goodloe 
Harper  of  South  Carolina. 

In  1803  Mr.  Carroll  was  one  of  a  committee  of  three 
selected  by  the  governors  to  help  boom  St.  John 's  Col 
lege.  This  committee  was  "  to  publish  an  account  of 
the  state  of  the  College,  and  of  the  advantages  it 
presents  and  may  afford.  They  did  this  so  well  that 
the  college  seemed  to  take  a  new  start. 

In  1805  his  son  lost  an  infant  and  wrote  to  Mr.  Car 
roll  of  the  great  grief  of  the  family.  In  feelingly 
replying  to  this  letter  the  father  says, '  *  Everything  in 
this  world  is  precarious.  Health,  riches,  power  and 
talents  are  all  uncertain.  Virtue  alone  is  subject  to  no 
vicissitudes. ' r 

Charles  Carroll  of  Homestead,  the  son,  died  in  1825. 
Many  tender,  loving  letters  from  his  father  have  been 
preserved  referring  to  his  failing  health.  In  one  of 
these  letters  the  father  writes,  "  God  bless  you  and 
prepare  you  for  a  better  world,  for  the  present  is  but 
a  passing  meteor  compared  to  eternity." 

Charles  of  Homestead  was  a  strikingly  handsome 
man.  His  son  Charles  was  the  fifth  of  his  name  and 
inherited  Doughoregan  Manor. 

On  the  completion  of  the  Erie  canal  connecting  the 
Great  Lakes  with  the  Atlantic  ocean,  medals  commem- 

8 


226  CHARLES  CAEEOLL  OF  CAEEOLLTON 

orative  of  the  event  were  struck  and  three  of  gold  were 
ordered  presented,  one  each  to  Charles  Carroll  of  Car- 
rollton,  John  Adams  and  Thomas  Jefferson,  the  three 
surviving  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 

Mr.  Carroll,  now  in  his  89th  year,  was  still  vigorous 
of  intellect  and  fairly  strong  of  body.  He  was  far  from 
being  an  infirm  old  man.  In  reply  to  a  letter  about 
this  time  from  a  friend,  who  spoke  of  the  useful  life 
he  had  led  and  the  important  things  he  had  accom 
plished,  Mr.  Carroll  closed  his  letter  with  this  sentence, 
' '  On  the  mercy  of  my  Eedeemer  I  rely  for  Salvation ; 
and  on  His  merits;  not  on  the  works  I  have  done  in 
obedience  to  His  precepts. " 

In  private  life  as  well  as  he  had  been  in  public  office 
Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  continued  to  be  the  most 
active  and  useful  citizen  of  his  State.  He  was  mentor, 
guide,  leader  and  banker  for  his  whole  section.  In 
fact,  he  was  the  only  man  who  had  money  to  lend  and 
wanted  to  lend  it  for  the  improvement  of  his  people. 
He  had  early  undertaken  to  convert  his  part  of  the 
State  from  a  tobacco  growing  to  a  wheat  and  corn 
raising  section.  Tobacco  was  a  hard  crop  on  land  and 
its  continued  cultivation  year  after  year  was  exhaust 
ing  the  soil  and  making  the  land  less  productive  and, 
therefore,  less  valuable  as  an  investment.  As  the  soil 
grew  thinner  the  tendency  to  go  west  grew  stronger 
and  the  natural  growth  of  the  State  was  retarded. 
This  condition  had  begun  to  develop  just  before  the 
beginning  of  the  Eevolutionary  war  and  Charles  Car 
roll  of  Carrollton  and  his  father  had  discussed  it  fre 
quently  and  sought  the  best  remedy  to  meet  it.  The 
Ellicott  brothers  came  along  at  the  right  time  and 
attracted  by  the  fine  water  power  were  induced  by  the 
Carrolls  and  others  to  establish  mills  for  grinding 
grain.  They  had  been  successful  millers  in  Pennsyl 
vania,  but  were  convinced  that  this  was  a  better  field 


DEATH  OF  HIS  SON  227 

for  the  operations  they  contemplated  on  a  more 
extended  scale.  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton,  the 
richest  capitalist  in  the  province,  stood  ready  to  back 
the  enterprise  in  any  practical  way,  and  he  changed 
much  of  his  farming  into  the  cultivation  of  wheat,  and 
other  enterprising  farmers  followed.  This  change 
involved  much  expense  in  the  purchase  of  new  imple 
ments  and  the  erection  of  new  buildings.  But  the  Car- 
rolls  advanced  the  money  to  those  who  needed  it  and 
they  also  aided  in  the  building  of  roads  that  grain 
might  the  more  easily  be  got  to  the  mills.  The  Elli- 
cotts  had  their  mills  running  and  were  producing  flour 
when  the  war  began.  The  mill  owners  also  built,  or 
greatly  assisted  in  building,  roads  in  all  directions  and 
the  country  was  greatly  improved  and  the  land  much 
enhanced  in  value.  The  Carrolls,  with  the  aid  of  farm 
ers,  on  the  route  now  had  a  road  all  the  way  from 
Ellicotts  mills  to  the  Carrollton  Manor  in  Frederick 
county.  Of  course  much  tobacco  was  still  grown,  but 
by  the  year  1780  wheat  had  become  the  main  crop  of 
the  section.  The  Ellicotts  became  general  merchants 
as  w^ell  as  millers,  and  by  1790  were  sending  quantities 
of  flour  to  Europe  and  importing  many  lines  of  goods 
useful  to  the  farmers. 

Their  coming  w^as  a  real  benefaction  to  the  people 
and  prevented  many  from  sacrificing  their  lands  and 
going  to  new  sections.  With  the  success  of  grain 
growing,  land  values  increased,  incomes  from  the 
farms  were  increased  and  the  Carrolls  profited  greatly 
as  a  consequence.  By  1803  all  this  section  of  Maryland 
had  practically  given  up  the  cultivation  of  tobacco  and 
was  one  of  the  finest  wheat  producing  sections  in  the 
world. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

ORGANIZING  THE  B.  &  0.  R.  R.—  LAFAYETTE'S  VISIT 
TO  THE  UNITED  STATES  IN  PRIVATE  LIFE 

Mr.  Carroll,  ever  alert  in  promoting  the  welfare  of 
his  people,  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  question  of 
transportation,  which  had  become  a  vital  matter  for 
Baltimore  City  and  the  section.  Though  over  ninety 
years  old  he  wras  energetic  and  vigorous,  heard  all  that 
was  to  be  said,  and  decided  that  the  interest  of  the 
State  demanded  some  radical  action,  and  he  was  in 
favor  of  a  railroad.  Accordingly  at  a  meeting  held 
February  12,  1827,  a  committee  of  thirty-five  was 
appointed  to  prepare  a  charter  and  petition  the  legis 
lature  for  its  enactment.  Charles  Carroll  of  Carroll- 
ton  was  made  chairman  of  the  committee  and  John 
V.  L.  McMahon  prepared  a  charter  which  was  granted 
in  Maryland  on  the  28th  of  February  and  in  Virginia 
March  8th.  Thus,  in  sixteen  days  from  the  meeting  at 
which  the  railroad  project  was  adopted,  the  charter 
was  granted  in  the  two  States  through  which  the  road 
would  pass.  By  April  1st  the  necessary  stock  was  sub 
scribed  and  on  April  23d  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Bail- 
road  Company  was  organized  by  the  election  of  the 
following  board  of  directors.  Charles  Carroll  of  Car- 
rollton,  George  Hoffman,  Thomas  Ellicott,  Philip  E. 
Thomas,  Robert  Morris,  Isaac  McKim,  Talbot  Jones, 
William  Lorman,  and  William  Stewart.  Philip  E. 
Lorman  was  made  president,  and  George  Brown 
treasurer. 

Work  of  locating  the  road  went  rapidly  on  and  the 
point  of  its  entrance  within  the  city  being  agreed  on, 
it  was  announced  that  the  i  l  Corner  Stone  ' '  would  be 

[229] 


230  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

laid  July  4,  1828.  There  was  a  great  civic  and  mili 
tary  parade,  many  patriotic  speeches  and  the  venerable 
and  greatly  beloved  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton 
threw  the  first  shovel  of  dirt,  wielded  the  trowel  in  the 
beginning  of  the  great  work  in  which  the  population 
of  Baltimore  was  so  enthusiastically  interested. 

The  method  of  propulsion  had  not  yet  been  decided 
on  and  one  experiment  was  with  a  car  with  sails.  The 
car  was  built  like  a  sleigh,  body  of  basket,  had  four 
wheels  and  was  fitted  with  a  mast  and  square  sails. 
Mr.  B.  H.  Latrobe,  the  chief  engineer  of  the  road,  Mr. 
Carroll  and  a  number  of  others  were  invited  to  witness 
experiments  with  the  car.  Mr.  Latrobe  says  "  though 
the  car  was  a  mere  toy  and  unpractical  as  a  motive 
power  it  served  a  good  purpose  in  showing  how  little 
power  was  required  to  move  a  car  on  rails  compared 
with  the  best  of  roads  that  had  preceded  it." 

Then  steam  was  considered.  There  was  a  steam 
road  in  England,  but  it  was  a  straight  road,  while  this 
road  was  to  have  curves.  Peter  Cooper,  who  was 
largely  interested  in  the  Canton  Iron  Works,  was  sure 
that  a  steam  locomotive  could  be  operated  on  a  curve 
and  he  proved  it.  Mr.  Cooper  built  the  locomotive  and 
when  it  was  completed  attached  an  open  car  and  made 
the  trip  from  Baltimore  to  Ellicotts  Mills  and  return. 
The  car  carried  the  directors  and  some  friends  and 
there  was  not  a  hitch  in  the  movements  of  the  train. 
The  curves  were  passed  and  grades  ascended  without 
difficulty.  After  the  trip  Mr.  Cooper  and  the  entire 
party  went  out  to  the  Caton  estate,  where  Mr.  Carroll 
was  staying  with  his  daughter,  to  tell  him  of  the  suc 
cess  of  the  first  trip.  And  thus  were  the  first  obstacles 
met  and  railroading  in  America  made  possible  in  spite 
of  grades  and  curves. 

When  the  corner  stone  of  the  railroad  was  to  be  laid 
the  Blacksmiths'  Association  presented  Mr.  Carroll 


LAFAYETTE  >S  VISIT  231 

with  the  implements  used  in  the  work.  In  a  letter  to 
them  he  said  "  you  observe  that  republics  can  exist 
and  that  under  that  form  of  government  the  people  can 
be  happier  than  under  any  other.  That  the  republic 
created  by  the  Declaration  of  Independence  may  con 
tinue  to  the  end  of  time  is  my  fervent  prayer.  That 
protracted  existence  however  will  depend  on  the  moral 
ity,  sobriety  and  industry  of  the  people,  and  on  no  part 
more  than  on  the  mechanics,  forming  in  our  cities  the 
greatest  number  of  their  most  useful  inhabitants. 

In  1824  Lafayette  visited  Baltimore  and  was 
received  by  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  and  Colonel 
John  Eager  Howard,  the  brother-in-law  of  Carroll's 
son.  Those  two  were  the  most  distinguished  survivors 
of  the  Revolution  in  Maryland.  John  Quincy  Adams, 
who  accompanied  Lafayette,  wrote  a  sketch  of  the 
scene.  The  distinguished  visitors  were  received  in  a 
tent  formerly  used  by  Washington,  and  there  was  a 
procession  through  the  streets  of  Baltimore,  in  which 
Mr.  Carroll  was  the  most  striking  and  venerable 
figure. 

During  the  visit  of  Lafayette  to  the  United  States 
Mr.  Latrobe  was  with  him  a  great  deal  and  the  condi 
tions  and  events  of  1777  were  vividly  recalled  and 
graphicly  retold. 

Democracy  dawned  in  France  during  the  days  of 
Louis  XIV.  It  grew  brighter  in  the  reign  of  Louis  XV 
and  by  the  time  of  Louis  XVI  it  was  shedding  its  rays 
all  over  France,  and  penetrating  the  remote  corners  of 
the  earth. 

Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  caught  the  spirit,  as 
part  of  the  education  he  received  in  that  country.  He 
not  only  observed  its  workings  in  France,  but  beheld 
it  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  party  by  Pitt  and  Burke  in 
England. 

He  rejoiced  at  the  interest  which  the  French  people 


232    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

were  taking  in  our  struggle  for  liberty  and  was  espe 
cially  pleased  at  the  firm  stand  and  practical  work  of 
Lafayette.  He  never  met  this  famous  friend  of  liberty 
till  after  the  Marquis  was  a  ma  jorr  general  in  our  army. 
But  from  the  faithful  La  Fon  and  the  alert  Donnelly, 
he  heard  every  item  of  news  that  concerned  his  interest 
in  our  cause.  Reminders  and  recountings  of  all  these 
things  came  with  the  visit  of  Lafayette  to  this  country 
in  1824. 

The  story  of  Lafayette 's  life  is  one  of  the  most  inter 
esting  in  history,  just  as  he  was  one  of  the  most  inter 
esting,  as  well  as  useful  men  of  that  eventful  period. 
He  was  educated  at  Le  Grand  College  in  Paris,  the 
same  school  from  which  Mr.  Carroll  had  been  grad 
uated  some  years  before. 

In  1777  he  determined  to  cast  his  lot  with  the 
Colonies  and  after  several  vain  efforts  to  get  trans 
portation,  secured  the  ship  Victory,  invited  as  his 
guests  a  dozen  other  liberty-loving  Frenchmen  desir 
ing  to  go  to  America  and  join  the  cause  of  the  Colonies. 
Among  them  were  Baron  De  Kalb  and  De  Val  du  Mon- 
tier.  After  many  hindrances  the  Victory  sailed  for 
Charleston,  S.  C.  De  Val  got  left,  but  secured  passage 
on  a  ship  that  sailed  directly  for  Philadelphia,  and  was 
there  awaiting  them  when  the  Lafayette  party  reached 
the  Capitol.  The  Victory  had  a  long  and  tempestuous 
voyage  from  a  port  in  Spain  to  the  coast  of  South 
Carolina.  The  party,  thirteen  in  number,  rode  on 
horseback  from  Charleston  to  Philadelphia,  a  distance 
of  some  900  miles  by  the  rough  roads  then  available. 

On  shipboard  as  well  as  during  the  long  horseback 
ride  there  was  constant  joking  about  the  unlucky 
number  of  13.  All  took  these  jibes  in  good  part, 
except  one  sedate  and  over-sensitive  youngster,  whom 
the  party  dubbed  No.  13.  On  arriving  in  Philadelphia, 
this  young  man,  a  stranger  in  a  land  that  surely  was 


LAFAYETTE'S  VISIT  233 

strange  to  him,  physically  worn  out,  as  well  as 
depressed  in  spirits,  committed  suicide  by  drowning  in 
the  Fairmount  river. 

This  incident  caused  much  sorrow  and  some  delay 
in  getting  their  commissions.  But  De  Val  turned  up 
as  a  member  of  the  party,  making  the  number  still  thir 
teen.  Lafayette  made  such  an  impression  on  Wash 
ington  by  his  pleasing  personality  and  by  his  practical 
knowledge  of  what  was  doing  and  what  was  wanted 
that  the  commander  at  once  recommended  him  for  a 
commission  and  Congress  acted  promptly  on  the 
recommendation.  All  the  others  were  provided  for  in 
a  satisfactory  manner. 

It  is  related  that  one  day  at  Valley  Forge,  De  Val, 
who  was  greatly  attached  to  Lafayette,  pointing  to  his 
friend,  said  to  Col.  Telghman: 

There's  the  man  who  will  be  known  as  the  mar 
vel  of  the  Century.  Think  of  what  he  is  and  what 
he  has  done.  Before  reaching  his  twentieth  birth 
day  anniversary,  Lafayette  had  served  his  King 
in  three  different  capacities,  was  a  married  man 
and  the  father  of  twins  and  held  a  commission  as 
a  Major  General  in  the  American  Army." 

De  Val  settled  in  Louisiana  at  the  close  of  the  Revo 
lution,  and  became  one  of  the  influential  citizens  of  that 
part  of  the  South,  where  many  of  his  descendants  are 
still  to  be  found,  while  others  have  scattered  to  differ 
ent  parts  of  the  country.  He  was  alive  and  well  when 
Lafayette  visited  this  country  in  1824,  and  one  of  the 
longest  visits  the  Marquis  made  was  to  Louisiana  to 
"  see  my  old  friend  and  comrade  in  arms,  De  Val  du 
Montier." 

Adams  and  Jefferson  died  July  4,  1826,  fifty  years 
from  the  day  they  voted  for  independence.  This  left 
Mr.  Carroll  only  survivor  of  the  signers.  On  August 
2d  afterwards,  at  a  meeting  in  Fanueil  Hall  in  Boston, 


234  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

Daniel  Webster  delivered  an  eulogy  on  the  two 
departed  ex-presidents.  In  one  of  his  splendid  periods 
the  great  orator  gave  voice  to  the  feelings  of  American 
hearts  toward  the  last  survivor : 

Of  the  illustrious  signers  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence  there  now  remains  only  Charles 
Carroll.  He  seems  an  aged  oak,  standing  alone 
on  the  plain,  which  time  has  spared  a  little  longer 
after  all  its  contemporaries  have  been  levelled 
with  the  dust.  Venerable  object!  we  delight  to 
gather  round  its  trunk,  while  yet  it  stands,  and  to 
dwell  beneath  its  shadow.  Sole  survivor  of  an 
assembly  of  as  great  men  as  the  world  has  wit 
nessed,  in  a  transaction  one  of  the  most  important 
that  history  records,  what  thoughts,  what  interest 
ing  reflections,  must  fill  his  elevated  and  devout 
soul!  If  he  dwell  on  the  past,  how  touching  its 
recollections ;  if  he  survey  the  present,  how  happy, 
how  joyous,  how  full  of  the  fruition  of  that  hope 
which  his  ardent  patriotism  indulged ;  if  he  glance 
at  the  future,  how  does  the  prospect  of  his  coun 
try's  advancement  almost  bewilder  his  concep 
tion!  Fortunate,  distinguished  patriot!  Inter 
esting  relic  of  the  past !  Let  him  know  that,  while 
we  honor  the  dead,  we  do  not  forget  the  living; 
and  that  there  is  not  a  heart  here  which  does  not 
fervently  pray  that  Heaven  may  keep  him  yet 
back  from  the  society  of  his  companions. " 

Among  the  last  recorded  utterances  of  Charles  Car 
roll  of  Carrollton,  often  quoted  as  his  last  words,  is 
that  deeply  impressive  statement: 

I  have  lived  to  my  ninety-sixth  year;  I  have 
enjoyed  continued  health,  I  have  been  blessed  with 
great  wealth,  prosperity,  and  most  of  the  good 
things  which  the  world  can  bestow  —  public  appro 
bation,  esteem,  applause ;  but  what  I  now  look  back 
on  with  the  greatest  satisfaction  to  myself  is,  that 
I  have  practiced  the  duties  of  my  religion. " 


CHAPTER  XXV 
BIRTH  AND  DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  U.  S.  NAVY 

In  1794  Mr.  Carroll  had  retired  as  a  Senator  from  the 
State  of  Maryland.  Undoubtedly  he  would  have  been 
a  member  of  Washington's  cabinet  but  for  the  neces 
sity  of  his  remaining  at  least  for  a  while  in  the  United 
States  Senate.  Congress  had  passed  a  law  prevent 
ing  a  man  from  holding  two  offices  at  the  same  time 
and  Mr.  Carroll  had  given  up  his  position  as  a  mem 
ber  of  the  United  States  Senate  in  order  that  he  might 
be  able  to  more  advantageously  support  the  President 
in  the  councils  of  his  State.  Already  the  party  that 
was  opposing  the  President  in  many  things  had 
secured  a  majority  in  the  House  of  Eepresentatives 
and  it  was  with  this  condition  of  things  that  Washing 
ton  consulted  Mr.  Carroll  in  regard  to  re-establishing 
the  United  State  Navy.  An  act  of  Congress  had  been 
passed  providing  for  the  building  and  operating  of  a 
navy  under  the  direction  of  Secretary  of  War. 

The  navy  of  the  Colonies  had  been  permitted  to 
dwindle  away.  Some  of  the  boats  had  become  too  old 
and  decayed  to  be  of  use  and  the  others  were  sold  as 
there  seemed  to  be  no  further  need  for  a  navy.  But 
French  spoliation  had  shown  the  necessity  for  a 
navy,  and  Congress  had  authorized  the  work  to  be 
undertaken.  The  Secretary  of  War  was  not  very  anx 
ious  for  this  addition  to  the  duties  and  responsibilities 
of  his  office.  Washington,  as  was  his  custom,  sent  for 
Senator  Carroll  and  they  talked  the  matter  over.  The 
two  men  best  fitted  for  the  work  according  to  Senator 
Carroll's  opinion,  were  Andrew  Ellicott  and  Commo 
dore  Jack  Barry.  The  two  latter  were  sent  for  and 

[235] 


236  CHARLES  CAEROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

General  Knox,  Secretary  of  War,  suggested  calling 
Joshua  Fox.  So  General  Washington,  Charles  Car 
roll  of  Carrollton,  Jack  Barry,  Andrew  Ellicott  and 
Joshua  Fox  formed  the  committee  that  outlined  the 
first  plans  for  a  United  States  Navy,  and  they  were 
men  admirably  fitted  for  the  work  at  hand.  Ellicott 
was  the  son  and  nephew  of  the  two  great  mill  owners 
that  Mr.  Carroll  had  induced  to  come  from  Bucks 
County  to  Maryland  when  he  determined  to  divert  a 
large  percentage  of  Maryland  planters  from  tobacco 
raisers  to  growers  of  grain.  The  Ellicotts  had  pur 
chased  great  tracts  of  land  near  Mr.  Carroll's  estate 
and  had  founded  Ellicotts  Mills,  now  Ellicott  City. 
Andrew  Ellicott  was  a  civil  engineer  of  great  ability 
and  his  talents  were  well  known  both  to  President 
Washington  and  Mr.  Carroll.  Barry,  known  as  the 
"  Commodore  "  was  living  the  life  of  a  gentleman  of 
means  in  Philadelphia.  He  believed  that  his  days  of 
activity  were  over.  But  the  passage  of  the  law  pro 
viding  for  a  United  States  Navy,  infused  new  life  into 
him  and  he  became  deeply  interested  in  the  effort. 
Both  Barry  and  Ellicott,  as  well  as  Washington  and 
Carroll  knew  of  the  ability  of  Joshua  Fox,  as  a  con 
structor  of  ships. 

The  great-granddaughter  of  Fox,  Elizabeth  Bran 
don  Stanton,  now  or  very  lately  living  at  Windy  Hill 
Manor,  Haldez,  Miss.,  tells  the  story  of  her  ancestor's 
connection  with  the  beginning  of  the  navy  as  shown 
by  the  records  and  her  account  agrees  precisely  with 
that  given  by  Mr.  Carroll  in  his  letters. 

Miss  Stanton  says : 

When  the  bill  was  pending  in  Congress  in  the 
session  of  1793  and  1794,  there  was  an  English 
Naval  constructor  visiting  in  the  United  States 
—  Josiah  Fox,  born  at  Falmouth,  England, 
October  9,  1763.  He  came  to  this  country  to  see 


BIETH  AND  DEVELOPMENT  OF  U.  S.  NAVY    237 

his  relatives,  and,  as  he  was  about  to  return  home, 
he  received  an  invitation  from  General  Knox,  the 
Secretary  of  War,  to  call  at  the  the  War  Office, 
General  Knox  having  heard  from  Commodores 
Barry  and  Decatur  that  Josiah  Fox  was  very 
skilled  in  naval  architecture.  Andrew  Ellicott  of 
West  Point,  the  surveyor-general,  introduced  his 
kinsman,  Fox,  personally  to  Knox  and  Washing 
ton,  and  they  discussed  the  project  of  building  a 
navy. 

Fox  was  a  master  shipbuilder,  who  had  served 
his  apprenticeship  under  the  best  ship  architects 
and  shipbuilders  of  that  period  in  England,  and 
the  English  navy  was  recognized  as  the  finest  of 
the  world.  He  was  offered  inducements  by  those 
in  authority  to  give  his  knowledge  and  skill  to 
serving  of  the  young  republic.  Those  in 
authority  were  not  satisfied  with  the  constructors 
in  their  employ,  they  being  unacquainted  with  the 
latest  methods  and  improvements  in  shipbuilding ; 
and,  not  to  be  despised  on  the  high  seas,  the 
nation 's  war  vessels  must  be  drafted,  molded  and 
constructed  after  the  world's  foremost  maritime 
power.  Fox  was  a  graduate  of  the  English  School 
of  Navy  Architecture,  and  was  at  once  employed. 

Miss  Stanton  from  her  family  papers,  then 
goes  on  to  give  a  most  interesting  but  succinct 
account  of  the  work  of  beginning  and  developing 
the  new  navy.  She  says  that  following  his  intro 
duction  to  those  in  authority,  Josiah  Fox  under 
went  a  satisfactory  examination  as  to  his  quali 
fication  in  the  art  of  naval  architecture  before  the 
Secretary  of  War  and  Commodore  Barry,  the 
latter  of  whom  he  had  known  from  his  youth  up. 
The  principal  mast  shipbuilders  of  Philadelphia 
also  bore  testimony  to  his  skill  in  naval  architec 
ture.  He  was  thereupon  received  into  the  public 
service  as  a  clerk  in  the  Department  of  War,  until 
suitable  provision  could  be  otherwise  made  for 
him.  At  that  time  his  advice  and  assistance  were 
required  on  naval  subjects  and  he  confidently 
asserts  that  his  models,  formed  to  combine  buoy- 


238  CHAELES  CAEEOLL  OF  CAEEOLLTON 

ance  and  capacity  with  fast-sailing,  met  the  gen 
eral  approbation  of  those  professional  men  to 
whom  the  Secretary  of  War  submitted  them. 

After  the  models  had  been  decided  on,  he  was 
employed  the  remainder  of  the  year  in  laying 
down  the  draughts  in  the  model  loft  and  super 
intending  making  the  molds.  The  four  ships 
which  he  drafted  were  the  "  United  States," 
"  Constitution,"  "  Constellation,"  and  the  one 
intended  to  have  been  built  at  Norfolk,  the  work 
on  which  finally  fell  to  him. 

Barry  was  made  Superintendent  of  Naval  con 
struction  and  Fox  Naval  Constructor.  It  can  be 
said  without  fear  of  successful  contradiction  that 
no  group  of  vessels  designed  by  any  one  man  in 
the  world's  naval  history  ever  achieved  the 
remarkable  and  lasting  pre-eminence  of  the 
frigates  and  sloops  of  war  which  were  the  crea 
tions  of  Josiah  Fox.  Among  them  were  these 
historic  fighting  ships: 

No.  of 
Frigates  Guns 

"  Constitution  "   44 

"  United  States  "  44 

The  One  at  Norfolk 44 

"Crescent,"  built  for  Dey  of  Algiers  36 

"Chesapeake"   (2) 44 

"  Constellation  "  36 

"  John  Adams  "   32 

"Portsmouth"   22 

"Hornet"  18 

"Wasp"   18 

"Ferret"    12 

and  a  greater  part  of  the  numerous  gunboats. 

The  old  "  Constitution  "  also  is  a  monument 
to  the  first  American  naval  constructor.  It  was 
finished  in  1798  and  saw  service  under  Commo 
dore  Barry  against  the  French  in  1799.  Of  the 
old  ship's  many  sea  fights,  the  most  renowned 
was  her  engagement  with  the  British  man-of-war 
"  Guerrier,"  commanded  by  Captain  Dacres.  To 


BIETH  AND  DEVELOPMENT  OF  U.  S.  NAVY    239 

avenge  the  insults  hurled  at  his  brave  ship,  Cap 
tain  Isaac  Hull  sailed  in  search  of  the  "  Guer- 
rier,"  August  12,  and  seven  days  later  came  in 
range.  The  mizen  mast  of  the  "  Guerrier  "  was 
shot  away;  her  mast  was  inslings  and  her  hull, 
spars  and  sails  were  torn  to  threads  by  the  gun 
ners  of  '  '  Old  Ironsides  ' :  -  approbiously  clept 
by  the  old  English  press:  "A  bundle  of  pine- 
boards  sailing  under  a  bit  of  striped  bun  ting. " 
Those  boasted  broadsides  from  English  walls  did 
not  drive  the  paltry  ' l  striped  bunting  ' '  from  the 
high  seas:  Captain  Dacres  struck  his  flag  to 
intrepid  Captain  Isaac  Hull  and  the  Stars  and 
Stripes  of  the  Baby  Republic  waved  triumphantly 
over  the  British  Lions.  Hull  only  lost  seven  men 
killed ;  Dacres  counted  seventy  killed  and  wounded 
on  his  bloody  deck. 

In  the  "  Constellation  "  Captain  Tuxton  went 
to  sea  in  the  war  against  Prance,  and  in  1799,  he 
captured  ' l  L  'Isurgente, ' '  thirty-six  guns  for 
which  deed  Congress  awarded  him  a  gold  medal. 

The  action  of  the  "  ConsteUation  "  with  "  La 
Vengeance  "  has  always  been  considered  one  of 
the  warmest  combats  between  frigates  on  record. 
The  result  of  this  engagement  produced  great 
exultation  in  America  and  was  very  gratifying  to 
the  national  pride.  It  was  claimed  as  a  victory 
of  38  over  34.  The  country  proclaimed  the  new 
marine  was  equal  to  any  on  the  seas. 

Captain  John  Barry  was  familiarly  known  as 
the  Commodore,  a  title  frequently  given  by  cour 
tesy  but  not  known  in  the  American  Navy  till  1862. 
It  was  given  by  courtesy  to  men  in  civil  life,  who 
had  attained  fame  in  marine  matters  as  in  the 
case  of  Commodore  Vanderbilt  of  New  York  and 
Commodore  Hooper  of  Baltimore.  Barry  received 
commission  No.  1  in  the  new  United  States  Navy, 
as  he  had  in  the  navy  of  the  United  Colonies,  but 
his  work  on  the  seas  in  the  Federal  navy  was  not 
of  long  duration  as  he  died  not  long  after  hoisting 
his  flag  as  "  Commodore  of  the  Constitution, "  the 
first  ship  to  be  finished. 


240    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

Of  the  three  men  called  into  consultation  by 
Washington,  Knox  and  Carroll  to  develop  the 
American  Navy,  Andrew  Ellicott  became  an 
instructor  at  West  Point,  where  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life. 

Commodore  Jack  Barry  died  in  the  service  as 
the  first  commanding  officer  of  the  American 
Navy  and  in  command  of  the  ship  Constitution. 
He  was  a  man  of  great  ability  and  of  conspicuous 
personal  virtues.  He  used  no  strong  drink,  at  a 
period  when  nearly  all  men  were  drinkers,  and  he 
never  used  profane  language,  when  it  was  common 
for  all  sailors  to  swear  and  most  captains  believed 
that  profanity  was  essential  to  a  proper  emphasis 
of  their  commands. 

Joshua  Fox,  a  member  of  the  Society  of 
Friends,  was  excommunicated  for  his  contribution 
to  the  war,  but  in  1817,  after  peace  had  been 
declared,  he  was  restored  to  membership  and 
many  of  his  descendants  are  today  members  of 
the  Society  of  Friends  in  Philadelphia. 

Josiah  Fox,  after  spending  fifteen  years  in  the 
service  of  the  United  States,  removed  with  his 
family  to  Wheeling  in  1811,  and  to  Colerain,  Bel- 
mont  County,  Ohio,  1814,  where  he  died. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

LOUIS  LE  GRANDE  COLLEGE  WHERE  THE  SPARK 
OF  LIBERTY  WAS  PANNED  INTO  A  FLAME  —  CAR 
ROLL  AND  LAFAYETTE 

One  cannot  study  the  lives  of  Charles  Carroll  of 
Carrollton,  Lafayette  and  the  hundreds  of  others  of  its 
graduates  equally  earnest  in  the  cause  of  liberty, 
though  not  so  well  known,  without  having  the  highest 
regard  for  Louis  Le  Grand  College  of  Paris.  It  must 
have  been  a  hotbed  of  Democracy  and  an  earnest  and 
conscientious  developer  of  the  spark  of  liberty  that 
Christianity  had  been  faithfully  guarding  since  the 
days  of  the  Roman  Empire. 

The  Christian  religion  not  only  brought  to  mankind 
a  new  philosophy  but  it  instilled  in  the  minds  of  its 
followers  a  doctrine  that  was  astounding  to  the  rulers 
and  learned  men  of  that  period.  This  was  the  declara 
tion  of  the  equal  rights  of  men.  When  it  announced 
that  the  humblest  slave  in  the  Roman  Empire  had  an 
immortal  soul  as  important  as  the  soul  of  Caesar,  it 
laid  the  foundation  of  that  structure  of  Democracy, 
that  in  years  to  come  was  to  elevate  man  and  revolu 
tionize  the  world.  It  took  the  spirit  of  this  truth  three 
hundred  years  to  get  well  started  but  once  fully  alive 
it  has  never  been  entirely  suppressed. 

This  old  College  of  Louis  Le  Grand  taught  that  the 
Christian  religion  had  given  to  the  world  the  only 
things  that  make  human  progress  possible  and  stand 
for  the  elevation  of  mankind. 

Christianity  brought  to  this  civilization  the  idea  of 
an  immortal  soul,  of  the  equality  of  man,  and  of  the 
family.  The  promotion  of  these  is  progress,  their 

[241] 


242    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

repression  is  a  relapse  into  barbarism.  The  Church 
never  taught  the  divine  right  of  Kings  nor  encouraged 
any  such  idea.  It  accepted  Kings  as  it  accepted  other 
conditions  that  it  found;  and  endeavored  to  right  the 
great  wrongs  which  they  afflicted  by  leavening  the 
whole  mass  of  humanity  and  gradually  working  over 
the  world  as  it  found  it  into  a  better  and  a  nobler 
world.  The  claim  of  the  divine  right  of  Kings  is  com 
paratively  a  modern  one.  It  had  been  merely  hinted 
at  before,  but  had  its  full  fruition  in  the  claims  and 
acts  of  the  rulers  of  the  German  states  some  four 
hundred  years  ago.  These  doctrines  of  that  period 
formed  the  foundation  of  that  German  "  Kultur  "  of 
which  we  hear  so  much  today. 

The  College  of  Louis  Le  Grand  taught  that  man 
possessed  certain  inalienable  rights  which  could  not 
be  taken  from  him  in  fairness  to  the  race  and  that 
"  among  them  were  life,  liberty  and  the  pursuit  of 
happiness. ' ' 

And  the  students  went  abroad  and  talked  about  what 
they  had  imbibed.  There  were  other  such  institutions 
teaching  the  rights  of  man  as  among  the  fundamen 
tal  doctrines  of  the  Christian  religion;  and  they  too 
sent  out  their  graduates  to  spread  the  doctrine  of 
liberty  and  equality. 

It  was  in  this  way  that  France  became  the  cradle 
of  democracy  and  in  these  conditions  is  found  the  rea 
son  for  so  many  of  her  sons  espousing  the  side  of  our 
forefathers  in  their  struggle  for  liberty.  The  spiritual 
reasons  that  moved  men  like  Lafayette,  De  Kalb,  and 
De  Val  were  infinitely  more  powerful  than  could  have 
been  any  efforts  founded  on  political  intrigue,  or  on 
the  hatred  of  another  nation. 

Our  obligations  to  France,  which  we  are  endeavor 
ing  to  repay  in  some  slight  degree,  are  too  deep  to  be 
measured  by  dollars  or  to  be  estimated  by  the  material 


CABROLL  AND  LAFAYETTE  243 

aid  rendered  us  by  the  valor  of  her  sons.  France 
now  struggling  to  save  the  soul  of  the  world  is  the 
same  beautiful  and  lovable  France  that  did  so  much 
to  develop  that  soul  through  the  work  done  by  her 
institutions  of  learning  long  ago  in  implanting  the  love 
of  liberty  and  the  equality  of  men  into  the  hearts  of 
such  men  as  Lafayette  and  Charles  Carroll  of  Carroll- 
ton. 

The  love  of  the  American  people  for  Lafayette  and 
the  high  esteem  in  which  his  memory  is  held  was 
expressed  by  the  presentation  of  a  statue  of  the  great 
French  soldier,  statesman  and  friend  of  America  by 
the  school  children  of  this  country  to  the  people  of 
France.  The  statue  was  unveiled  July  4,  1900,  and 
Archbishop  Ireland  was  sent  by  President  McKinley 
to  deliver  the  address  at  the  unveiling. 

The  love  of  this  people  for  France  and  for  Lafayette 
was  never  more  forcefully  and  could  not  be  more 
beautifully  expressed  than  was  done  by  the  eloquent 
prelate  on  that  occasion. 

We  append  an  abstract  from  this  address. 

We  speak  to  France  in  the  name  of  America, 
under  commission  from  her  chief  magistrate,  Wil 
liam  McKinley,  from  her  Senate  and  House  of 
Representatives,  from  her  youths  who  throng  her 
schools,  and  from  the  tens  of  millions  of  her 
people  who  rejoice  in  the  rich  inheritance  won  in 
years  past  by  the  allied  armies  of  France  and 
America.  We  are  bidden  by  America  to  give  in 
the  hearing  of  the  world  testimony  of  the  grati 
tude  to  France. 

Once  weak  and  poor  in  sore  need  of  sympathy 
and  succor,  to-day  the  peer  of  the  mightiest,  self- 
sufficing,  asking  for  naught  save  the  respect  and 
friendship  to  which  her  merits  may  entitle  her, 
the  republic  of  the  United  States  of  America  holds 
in  loving  remembrance  the  nation  from  which  in 
the  days  of  her  dire  necessity  there  came  to  her 


244    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

powerful  and  chivalrous  support.  Noble  men 
and  noble  nations  forgive  injuries ;  they  never  for 
get  favors. 

There  is  a  land  which  is  above  all  other  lands 
the  land  of  chivalry,  of  noble  impulse  and  gen 
erous  sacrifice,  the  land  of  devotion  to  ideals. 
At  the  call  of  a  high-born  principle  her  sons,  with 
souls  attuned  by  nature  to  the  harmonies  of  the 
true  and  the  beautiful,  leap  instinctively  into  the 
arena,  resolved  at  any  cost  to  render  such  prin 
ciple  a  reality  in  the  life-current  of  humanity. 
The  pages  of  its  history  glisten  with  the  names 
of  heroes  and  martyrs,  of  knightly  soldiers  and 
saintly  missionaries.  It  is  of  France  I  speak. 

At  the  close  of  the  last  century  France  was, 
more  than  ever,  ready  to  hearken  to  an  appeal 
made  in  the  name  of  human  rights.  The  spirit 
of  liberty  was  hovering  over  the  land,  never  again 
to  depart  from  it,  even  if  for  a  time  baffled  in  its 
aspirations  by  the  excesses  of  friends  or  the 
oppression  of  foes.  To  France  America  turned 
and  spoke  her  hopes  and  fears;  her  messengers 
pleaded  her  cause  in  Paris;  quick  and  generous 
was  the  response  which  France  gave  to  the  appeal. 
Gilbert  du  Motier,  Marquis  de  Lafayette!  Oh, 
that  words  of  mine  could  express  the  full  burning 
love  which  our  Revoluntionary  sires  did  bear  to 
this  illustrious  son  of  old  Auvergne!  Oh,  that 
I  could  pronounce  his  name  with  the  reverence 
with  which  my  countrymen  across  the  sea  wish  me 
to  pronounce  it  before  the  people  of  France!  In 
America  two  names  are  the  idols  of  our  national 
worship,  the  burden  of  fireside  tale,  the  inspira 
tion  of  the  poet's  song,  the  theme  of  the  orator's 
discourse;  the  name  of  him  who  was  the  Father 
of  his  Country  —  George  Washington;  and  the 
name  of  him  who  was  the  true  and  trusty  friend 
of  Washington,  Gilbert  du  Motier,  Marquis  de 
Lafayette. 

Strange  were  it  if  America  did  not  cherish  the 
name  of  Lafayette.  He  loved  America.  "  From 
the  moment  that  I  heard  the  name  of  America," 


CAEROLL  AND  LAFAYETTE  245 

said  he,  '  *  I  loved  her ;  from  the  moment  I  learned 
of  her  struggles  for  liberty,  I  was  inflamed  with 
the  desire  of  shedding  my  blood  for  her."  He 
understood,  above  most  men  of  his  time,  the  full 
significance  of  America's  contest.  "  Never,"  said 
he,  "  had  so  noble  a  purpose  offered  itself  to  the 
judgment  of  men;  it  was  the  last  struggle  for 
liberty,  and  its  defeat  would  have  left  freedom 
without  a  home  and  without  hopes. ' '  His  devotion 
to  America  was  as  unselfish  as  it  was  intense. 
* '  I  offer  myself, ' '  he  wrote,  '  '  to  serve  the  United 
States  with  all  possible  zeal  without  pension  or 
allowance. ' ' 

Wealth  and  rank,  the  favors  of  court  and  King, 
high  distinction  in  the  services  of  his  own  country, 
the  endearments  of  wife  and  child  —  all  that 
ambition  could  covet  or  opportunity  promise, 
the  youth  of  nineteen  summers  put  resolutely1 
aside  to  cast  his  lot  with  a  far-off  people  battling 
against  fearful  odds  —  and  that  at  a  moment  when 
their  fortunes  were  at  their  lowest  ebb,  and  hope 
had  well  nigh  abandoned  their  standard.  When 
the  agent  of  America  in  France  sadly  confessed 
that  he  was  even  unable  to  furnish  a  ship  to  carry 
him  and  other  volunteers,  Lafayette  said:  "  I 
will  buy  a  ship  and  take  your  men  with  me." 

By  his  magnanimity  of  soul,  and  by  his  grace 
of  manner  not  less  than  by  his  military  prowess, 
he  won  all  hearts  and  became  the  idol  of  the 
American  army.  He  proved  himself  to  the  inmost 
fibre  of  his  soul  an  American,  as  proud  of 
America  as  the  proudest  of  her  patriots,  the 
champion  before  all  contestants  of  her  honor  and 
her  fair  name.  More  cheerfully  even  than  his 
American  companions  in  arms  he  bore  the  terrible 
hardships  of  the  war ;  again  and  again  he  pledged 
his  personal  fortune  to  buy  food  and  clothing  for 
his  men,  who  knew  him  by  the  familiar  appellation 
of — "  The  Marquis,  the  soldiers  friend."  In 
camp  and  in  battle  his  influence  was  boundless; 
a  word  of  cheer  from  his  lips  roused  the  drooping 
spirits  of  his  soldiers;  a  word  of  command  sent 


246  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

them  headlong  against  the  enemy.  A  visitor  to 
the  American  camp,  the  Marquis  de  Chastellux, 
could  not  help  remarking  that  Lafayette  was 
never  spoken  of  without  manifest  tokens  of  at 
tachment  and  affection. 

But  much  as  Lafayette  deserves  and  receives 
our  love  and  honor  in  return  for  his  personal 
service  in  the  cause  of  America,  his  chief  title 
to  the  gratitude  of  our  people  is  that  his  heroic 
figure  ever  looms  up  before  their  entranced  fancy 
as  the  symbol  of  the  magnanimity  which  France 
as  a  nation  displayed  towards  our  country  in 
her  laborious  struggle  for  life  and  liberty.  The 
value  of  the  aid  given  to  us  by  France  in  our  war 
for  independence  is  inestimable.  The  joy  which 
the  memory  of  it  awakens  in  our  souls  is  that 
which  comes  to  us  through  the  consciousness  of 
our  national  life  itself.  France  stood  first  sponsor 
for  our  nationhood.  We  entered  into  the  great 
family  of  nations  leaning  on  her  arm,  radiant  with 
the  reflection  of  her  histrionic  splendor,  and  strong 
in  the  protection  of  her  titantic  stature.  When 
Franklin  stood  in  the  palace  of  Versailles,  the 
acknowledged  envoy  of  America,  and  Gerard  de 
Rayneval,  as  the  minister  of  France,  saluted  the 
Congress  of  America  at  Philadelphia,  the  young 
republic  thrilled  with  new  life  and  leaped  at  once 
into  a  full  sense  of  security  and  a  true  conscious 
ness  of  her  dignity. 

Let  historians  relate  as  they  will  that  the  King 
and  minister  of  France  saw  in  the  revolt  of  the 
America  colonies,  and  in  the  assistance  that  might 
be  given  them,  an  opportunity  for  France  to 
avenge  the  humiliation  of  the  treaty  of  1763.  It  is 
is  not  for  us  to  demand  that  statesmen  became  for 
our  sake  oblivious  of  the  interests  of  their  own 
country.  What  America  knows,  what  she  will 
never  fail  to  know,  is  that  King  and  ministers  of 
France  gave  us  the  aid  through  which  we  won  our 
independence,  and  that  they  gave  it  to  us  in  warm 
est  friendliness  and  with  most  chivalrous  gen 
erosity,  and  that  in  giving  to  us  such  aid  they 


CARROLL  AND  LAFAYETTE  247 

were  applauded  by  the  noble-hearted  people  of 
France,  who  loved  America  and  encouraged  the 
alliance  of  their  country  with  her,  because  of  the 
great  principles  which  were  linked  with  the 
triumph  or  the  defeat  of  the  new  republic  of  the 
west. 

The  war  of  America  was  waged  for  a  mighty 
principle  of  deepest  import  to  the  welfare  of  hu 
manity.  It  rose  thereby  immensely  above  other 
wars  in  solemn  grandeur  of  meaning.  The  prin 
ciple  at  stake  was  that  of  civil  and  political  liberty, 
the  triumph  of  which  in  America  would  be  the 
presage  of  its  triumph  in  the  world.  It  was  this 
principle  that  shed  singular  glory  upon  the  battle 
fields  of  America.  America  rose  in  rebellion 
against  arbitrary  and  absolute  government;  she 
unsheathed  the  sword  in  the  name  of  the  rights  of 
man  and  of  the  citizen. 

There  is  but  one  who  in  His  own  right  has 
power  to  rule  over  men  —  Almighty  God  —  and 
from  Him  is  derived  whatever  authority  is  ex 
ercised  in  human  society.  That  authority  is  not, 
however,  directly  given  to  the  one  or  the  few;  it 
is  communicated  by  him  to  the  people  to  be  exer 
cised  in  the  form  which  they  choose,  by  those 
whom  they  designate.  And  the  men  in  whom  this 
authority  is  invested  by  delegations  of  the  people 
are  to  use  it  not  for  the  benefit  of  the  one  or  the 
few,  but  for  the  good  of  the  people.  All  this  is 
the  plain  teaching  of  reason  and  religion,  and  yet 
not  seldom  were  such  simple  truths  forgotten,  not 
seldom  in  practice  was  power  held  as  if  it  be 
longed  to  dynasties  and  classes,  and  exercised  as 
if  "the  human  race  lived  for  the  few."  The 
rebellion  of  a  people  on  so  large  a  scale  as  was 
the  uprising  of  the  American  colonies  could  not 
but  challenge  universal  attention,  and  the  triumph 
of  such  a  rebellion  could  not  but  stir  other  peoples 
to  a  sense  of  their  rights  and  to  a  stern  resolve  to 
maintain  them. 

It  will  not,  assuredly,  be  said  that  the  republi 
can  form  of  government  is  vital  to  a  well-ordered 


248  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

State,  nor  that  without  it  the  rights  of  the  people 
cannot  be  safeguarded,  nor  that  it  is  the  best  and 
proper  policy  for  every  people.  The  form  of  a 
government  is  a  question  that  must  rest  with  the 
people  of  each  nation,  to  be  determined  solely  by 
them  according  to  their  special  needs  and  their 
dispositions  of  character.  It  is,  nevertheless,  true 
that  the  republican  form  of  government  is  of  it 
self  peculiarly  expressive  of  the  limitations  and 
responsibilities  of  power,  and  consequently  the 
founding  of  a  republic  such  as  that  of  the  United 
States  was  a  momentous  event  for  liberty  through 
out  the  entire  world.  In  every  commonwealth  the 
people's  sense  of  their  rights  and  power  was 
quickened,  and  there  sprang  up  in  the  consciences 
of  the  rulers  of  nations  a  new  conception  of  their 
responsibilities  towards  the  people.  Whatever 
to-day  in  any  country  the  particular  form  of 
government,  democracy  is  there  in  some  degree; 
and  it  is  there  because  of  its  plenary  triumph  in 
America,  whence  went  forth  the  charmed  spell  that 
reached,  were  it  but  in  weakened  waves,  the  utter 
most  bounds  of  civilized  humanity. 

The  creation  of  the  republic  of  the  United 
States  was  the  inauguration  of  a  new  era  in  the 
life  of  the  human  race  —  the  era  of  the  rights  of 
manhood  and  of  citizenship  and  of  the  rights  of 
the  people.  Such  is  the  true  meaning  of  the 
American  Revolution,  the  full  significance  of  the 
work  done  in  America  by  Lafayette  and  France. 

This  is  the  age  of  the  people.  Every  decade 
will  mark  an  advance  in  the  triumphant  march  of 
democracy.  Political  movements  do  not  go  back 
ward;  the  people  do  not  abandon,  except  under 
duress,  and  then  only  for  a  time,  rights  of  which 
they  were  once  possessed,  or  the  power  which  they 
have  once  wielded  to  maintain  and  enlarge  those 
rights.  To  seek  for  arguments  against  democracy 
in  its  apparent  perils  is  a  waste  of  time.  The  part 
of  true  statesmanship  is  to  study  the  perils  such 
as  may  be  and  take  measures  to  avert  them. 
The  progress  of  democracy  cannot  be  stayed.  He 


CABROLL  AND  LAFAYETTE  249 

who  would  rule  must  rule  through  the  people, 
through  the  individual  men  who  constitute  the 
people.  To  obtain  results  in  the  civil  and  political 
world  he  must  go  to  the  individual,  enlighten  his 
mind,  form  his  conscience  and  thus  enlist  his  sym 
pathies  and  win  his  intelligent  co-operation.  He 
who  does  this  will  succeed;  he  who  uses  other 
methods  will  fail.  The  task  for  those  who  would 
rule  men  is  made  more  difficult.  The  time  is  long 
gone  by  when  men  can  be  swayed  by  word  or  proc 
lamation.  But  manhood  in  men  has  meanwhile 
grown,  and  they  who  love  manhood  in  men  should 
rejoice. 

Why  should  we  be  asked  to  regret  the  coming 
of  democracy?  What  is  it  in  its  ultimate  analyis 
but  the  practical  assertion  of  the  dignity  of  man, 
indelibly  impressed  upon  him  when  he  was  joined 
to  the  image  of  the  Creator  1  What  is  it  but  trust 
in  the  power  of  truth  and  righteousness,  and  in 
the  readiness  of  the  human  soul  to  respond  to 
such  influences !  The  growth  of  mind  and  will  in 
the  individual  is  what  all  must  hail  who  believe  in 
human  progress,  or  in  the  strength  of  Christian 
civilization.  And  as  mind  and  will  grow  in  men, 
so  grow  in  him  the  consciousness  of  his  rights  and 
power,  and  the  resolve  to  uphold  rights,  to  put 
power  into  act,  and  to  resist  all  irrational  or 
unnecessary  restraint  upon  either  rights  or  power 
—  and  thus  is  begotten  democracy.  The  new  age 
has  dawned  for  all  humanity ;  but,  where  men  have 
the  more  quickly  and  the  more  thoroughly  under 
stood  their  dignity,  there  its  golden  rays  have 
risen  higher  above  the  horizon,  and  shed  more 
richly  their  light  uponhuman  thought  and  action. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

BENEVOLENT  AND  BUSINESS  INTERESTS  — AN 
INTERESTING  LETTER  FROM  GENERAL  WASH 
INGTON—CLOSING  OF  A  GREAT  CAREER 

The  political  activities  of  Charles  Carroll  of  Car- 
rollton  ceased  in  1801.  He  had  been  and  remained  a 
firm  Federalist ;  and  when  the  Anti-Federalist  wave  led 
by  Jefferson  swept  over  the  country,  he  found  himself 
in  a  hopeless  minority  in  both  state  and  national 
affairs. 

Eetiring  from  the  activities  of  a  long  and  most  suc 
cessful  career  he  found  ample  scope  for  his  efforts 
and  his  energies  in  the  management  of  his  great  estate 
and  in  promoting  the  interests  of  his  community  in 
many  ways. 

As  the  banker  of  his  section  he  was  able  to  advance 
the  interests  of  his  people.  He  encouraged  foreign 
trade,  developed  wheat  growing,  enlarged  and  modern 
ized  the  manufacture  of  iron,  developed  transporta 
tion,  encouraged  and  endowed  schools  and  colleges  and 
supported  the  first  successful  effort  to  make  fruit 
growing  a  business  enterprise.  To  this  end  he  secured 
the  Manor,  on  the  eastern  shore  of  which  Poplar 
island  was  the  principal  part  and  contained  the  Manor 
house.  Here  Leonard  Green,  the  third  Marylander  of 
that  name,  had  come  into  a  great  estate,  which  had 
been  the  property  of  his  grandmother,  Dorothy 
Leonard.  A  series  of  litigations  had  followed,  one 
after  another,  till  the  property  was  badly  run  down. 
It  embraced  some  two  thousand  acres,  one-third  being 
the  island,  and  the  remainder  mainland.  There  was 
an  accepted  theory  that  fruit  could  thrive  best  when 

[251] 


252  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

near  the  salt  water.  This,  then,  was  an  ideal  spot. 
Mr.  Carroll  secured  the  tract  and  with  some  people  in 
whom  he  had  confidence  began  on  a  large  scale  the  cul 
tivation  of  fruit.  Fruit  trees  of  many  kinds  were 
planted,  but  peaches  were  made  the  principal  crop 
because  of  the  quick  growth  of  the  trees.  Grafting  and 
budding  were  unknown  and  the  peach  trees  grew  larger 
and  were  much  longer  in  maturing  than  in  after  years. 
The  effort  was  undertaken  in  1812,  and  it  was  1820 
before  much  in  results  was  shown.  But  the  idea 
caught  and  Ridgeway  of  Delaware  quickly  followed, 
and  about  the  year  1815  planted  the  first  orchard  of 
that  state. 

Want  of  transportation  facilities  hampered  the 
effort  for  a  good  while,  but  the  idea  triumphed  and 
fruit  growing  as  outlined  in  the  dreams  of  Charles 
Carroll  of  Carrollton  became  a  reality,  and  the  bases 
of  many  fortunes.  He  insisted  on  the  culture  of 
English  walnuts  being  tried  and  had  twenty  trees 
planted.  The  growth  was  slow,  but  to  the  present  day 
English  walnuts  of  fine  quality  are  grown  all  through 
that  section.  As  the  result  of  this  effort  many  trees 
now  in  full  bearing  were  planted  during  Mr.  Carroll's 
lifetime.  Figs  were  also  successfully  tried  and  are  still 
grown  in  the  vicinity,  but  were  never  made  an  article 
of  commerce. 

Whoever  had  a  practical  idea  that  seemed  to  promise 
well  for  the  interest  of  the  section  could  go  to  Mr. 
Carroll  for  financial  aid.  Late  in  life  he  said,  speaking 
for  his  father,  himself  and  his  immediate  associates: 
"  When  you  consider  how  many  and  how  varied  are 
the  undertakings  we  fostered  it  is  amazing  how  little 
money  we  ever  lost  in  that  way.  Surely  we  must  have 
been  very  successful  in  backing  the  right  people. " 

At  this  time,  in  the  latter  years  of  his  life,  he  had  a 
substantial  and  handsomely  fitted  up  sailboat  in  which 


CLOSING  OF  A  GREAT  CAREER         253 

he  delighted  to  travel.  It  was  nicely  equipped  with 
sleeping  rooms  below  and  on  deck  and  every  comfort 
for  a  man  of  his  age  and  taste  was  provided.  To-day 
it  would  be  a  yacht,  but  at  that  time  it  was  just '  '  Mr. 
CarrolPs  pungy."  And  "  the  pungy  "  was  every 
where  a  welcome  visitor  and  its  coming  was  an  event  of 
interest  in  all  regions  of  watercourses  and  boat  travel. 

He  continued  to  be  deeply  interested  in  religious  and 
educational  matters  and  was  a  liberal  giver  to  all  good 
causes.  St.  John's  College  at  Annapolis  and  George 
town  College  in  the  District  of  Columbia  were  both 
dear  to  his  heart.  But  he  contributed  liberally  to 
public  benefactions  and  to  educational  institutions  to 
the  end  of  his  long  life. 

He  kept  up  a  friendly  correspondence  with  old 
friends  in  many  parts  of  the  country  and  derived  great 
pleasure  from  the  letters  he  received  from  these 
friends.  Newspapers  were  not  as  numerous  or  as  com 
prehensive  as  now,  and  much  interesting  information 
was  passed  along  by  letters.  To  an  old  friend,  Rev. 
John  Sanf ord,  an  Episcopal  clergyman,  he  wrote : 

Doughoregan,  October  9,  1827. 

Reverend  and  Dear  Sir: — 

I  was  yesterday  favored  with  your  friendly  let 
ter  of  the  10th  past,  and  the  discourses  on  the 
opening  of  the  House  of  Refuge  and  on  the  death 
of  Jefferson  and  Adams.  The  former  I  have  read. 
With  the  latter  I  am  highly  pleased  and  I  sin 
cerely  thank  you  for  your  pious  wishes  for  my 
happiness  in  the  life  to  come.  Your  sentiments 
on  religious  liberty  coincide  entirely  with  mine. 
To  obtain  religious,  as  well  as  civil  liberty,  I 
entered  zealously  into  the  Revolution,  and  observ 
ing  the  Christian  religion  divided  into  many  sects, 
I  founded  the  hope  that  no  one  would  be  so  pre 
dominant  as  to  become  the  religion  of  the  State. 


254  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

That  hope  was  thus  early  entertained,  because  all 
of  them  joined  in  the  same  cause,  with  few  excep 
tions  of  individuals.  God  grant  that  this  religious 
liberty  may  be  preserved  in  these  States  to  the 
end  of  time  and  that  all  believing  in  the  religion 
of  Christ  may  practice  the  leading  principle  of 
charity,  the  basis  of  every  virtue. 

I  remain  with  great  respect,  Rev.  Sir, 
Your  most  humble  servant, 

CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON. 

Mr.  Carroll  always  took  great  pleasure  and  pride  in 
recalling  that  his  co-religionists  of  America  were  on 
the  patriot  side  during  the  Revolutionary  struggle  to 
a  man.  Mr.  Latrobe  related  that  he  used  to  say, 
1 1  may  be  there  was  one  Catholic  in  America  that  took 
the  British  side.  But  if  so  he  left  no  record  of  it,  and 
we  are  glad  he  did  not." 

After  the  inauguration  of  Washington  a  committee 
composed  of  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton,  Daniel 
Carroll,  Dominick  Lynch  and  Thomas  Fitz  Simmons, 
representing  the  laity,  and  Bishop  John  Carroll,  repre 
senting  the  clergy,  sent  an  address  of  congratulation 
to  the  President,  admirable  for  its  sentiments  of 
exalted  patriotism.  In  reply  President  Washington 
sent  the  following: 

To  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton,  Daniel  Carroll 
and  members  of  your  committee ;  and  through 
you  to  the  Roman  Catholics  of  the  United 
States. 

While  I  now  receive  with  much  satisfaction 
your  congratulations  on  my  being  called  by  a 
unanimous  vote  to  the  first  station  in  my  country, 
I  cannot  but  duly  notice  your  politeness  in  offer 
ing  an  apology  for  the  unavoidable  delay.  As 
that  delay  has  given  you  an  opportunity  of  realiz 
ing,  instead  of  anticipating,  the  benefits  of  gen- 


CLOSING  OF  A  GREAT  CAREER         255 

eral  government,  you  will  do  me  the  justice  to 
believe  that  your  testimony  to  the  increase  of  the 
public  prosperity  enhances  the  pleasure  which  I 
should  otherwise  have  experienced  from  your 
affectionate  address. 

I  feel  that  my  conduct  in  war  and  in  peace  has 
met  with  more  general  approbation  than  could 
reasonably  have  been  expected ;  and  I  find  myself 
disposed  to  consider  that  fortunate  circumstances, 
in  a  great  degree,  resulting  from  the  able  support 
and  extraordinary  candour  of  my  fellow-citizens 
of  all  denominations. 

The  prospect  of  national  prosperity  now  before 
us  is  truly  animating,  and  ought  to  excite  the 
exertions  of  all  good  men  to  establish  and 
secure  the  happiness  of  their  country,  in  the  per 
manent  duration  of  its  freedom  and  independence. 
America,  under  the  smile  of  Divine  Providence, 
the  protection  of  a  good  government,  the  cultiva 
tion  of  manner,  morals  and  piety,  can  hardly  fail 
of  attaining  to  an  uncommon  degree  of  eminence 
in  literature,  commerce,  agriculture,  improve 
ments  at  home  and  respectability  abroad. 

As  mankind  become  more  liberal  they  will  be 
more  apt  to  allow  that  all  those  who  conduct  them 
selves  as  worthy  members  of  the  community,  are 
equally  entitled  to  the  protection  of  civil  govern 
ment.  I  hope  ever  to  see  America  among  the  fore 
most  nations  in  examples  of  justice  and  liberality. 
And  I  presume  that  your  fellow-citizens  will  not 
forget  the  patriotic  part,  which  you  took  in  the 
accomplishment  of  their  revolution  and  the  estab 
lishment  of  their  government,  or  the  important 
assistance,  which  they  received  from  a  nation  in 
which  the  Roman  Catholic  religion  is  professed. 

I  thank  you  gentlemen,  for  your  kind  concern 
for  me.  While  my  life  and  my  health  shall  con 
tinue,  in  whatever  situation  I  may  be,  it  shall  be 
my  constant  endeavor  to  justify  the  favorable 
sentiments  you  are  pleased  to  express  of  my  con 
duct.  And  may  the  members  of  your  society  in 


256  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

America,  animated  alone  by  the  pure  spirit  of 
Christianity  and  still  conducting  themselves  as  the 
faithful  subjects  of  our  free  government,  enjoy 
every  temporal  and  spiritual  felicity. 
Very  truly  yours, 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON. 
December  14th,  1789. 

This  letter  Mr.  Carroll  retained  for  many  years  as 
it  came  to  him  as  chairman  of  the  committee.  He 
finally  turned  it  over  to  Bishop  Carroll,  and  it  rested 
in  the  Church  Archives  in  Baltimore  till  1876,  when  it 
was  loaned  to  be  taken  to  Philadelphia  as  part  of  the 
interesting  papers  connected  with  Colonial  days,  which 
Maryland  could  show.  Governor  John  Lee  Carroll, 
great  grandson  of  the  signer,  was  the  Centennial 
Governor  of  the  State,  and  the  Maryland  exhibit  of 
Colonial  letters  and  relics  was  among  the  most  inter 
esting  shown  on  that  memorable  occasion. 

On  the  2d  day  of  August,  1826,  which  was  the  fiftieth 
anniversary  of  the  actual  signing  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  Mr.  Carroll  addressed  to  his  country 
men  this  touching  communication : 

Grateful  to  Almighty  God  for  the  blessings 
which,  through  Jesus  Christ  Our  Lord,  He  has 
conferred  on  my  beloved  country  in  her  emanci 
pation  and  on  myself  in  permitting  me,  under  cir 
cumstances  of  mercy,  to  live  to  the  age  of  89  years, 
and  to  survive  the  fiftieth  year  of  independence, 
adopted  by  Congress  on  the  4th  of  July  1776, 
which  I  originally  subscribed  on  the  2d  day  of 
August  of  the  same  year  and  of  which  I  am  now 
the  last  surviving  signer.  I  do  hereby  recom 
mend  to  the  present  and  future  generations  the 
principles  of  that  important  document  as  the  best 
earthly  inheritance  their  ancestors  could  bequeath 
to  them,  and  pray  that  the  civil  and  religious  lib- 


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CLOSING  OF  A  GREAT  CAREER         257 

erties  they  have  secured  to  my  country  may  be 
perpetuated  to  remotest  posterity  and  extended 
to  the  whole  family  of  men. 

CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON. 
August  2,  1826. 

Only  a  month  before  he  had  received  the  news  of  the 
death  of  Thomas  Jefferson  and  John  Adams.  His 
friends  were  fearful  of  the  consequences  of  the  shock 
which  this  news  might  produce.  But  he  heard  it  with 
the  same  .spirit  of  Christian  philosophy  that  had  sus 
tained  him  all  through  life,  and  survived  more  than  six 
years.  And  these  were  not  years  of  despondency  or 
of  an  old  man  sitting  around  waiting  for  the  end  to 
come.  They  were  years  of  interest  and  activity.  He 
met  people,  discussed  events,  transacted  business  and 
aided  in  promoting  public  enterprises.  Until  the  last 
year  of  his  life  he  walked,  rode,  drove  and  went  in  his 
boat  wherever  interest  or  inclination  called  him.  He 
spent  most  of  the  time  with  his  daughter  but  made 
frequent  visits  and  transacted  much  business  at  the 
Manor. 

On  Wednesday  14th  of  November  1832,  Charles 
Carroll  of  Carrollton  passed  away.  He  died  at  the 
house  of  his  daughter  on  Pratt  Street,  Baltimore,  in 
what  was  afterwards  called  Old  town. 

It  was  towards  sundown.  The  weather  was  very 
cold.  In  a  large  room,  his  bedroom,  he  sat  in  an  easy 
chair  before  an  open  fireplace.  On  a  table  were 
blessed  candles,  an  antique  bowl  of  holy  water  and  a 
crucifix.  By  his  side,  Rev.  Jno.  C.  Chance,  President 
of  St.  Mary's  College,  in  rich  robes  offered  the  last 
rites.  On  each  side  of  his  chair  knelt  a  daughter  and 
grandchildren.  In  the  rear  were  three  or  four  old 
negro  servants  kneeling  in  reverence. 

The  assembly  made  a  picture  never  to  be  forgotten. 
9 


258  CHAELES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

The  venerable  patriot  went  through  the  ceremony  with 
evident  pleasure  and  refusing  nourishment  said  ' '  This 
supplies  all  the  wants  of  Nature.  I  desire  no  food." 
He  was  placed  in  bed.  It  was  after  midnight  when 
he  passed  away. 

His  body  reposes  in  the  chapel  at  Doughoregan 
Manor.  On  the  gospel  side  of  the  altar  is  a  monument 
erected  by  order  of  the  late  Charles  Carroll,  grandson 
of  the  signer  and  father  of  Governor  John  Lee  Carroll. 
The  work  was  executed  by  Mr.  Bartholomew  in  Rome, 
in  1853. 

The  city,  the  state  and  the  nation  mourned.  There 
were  memorial  meetings,  resolutions,  letters  and  ser 
mons  of  sympathy  that  would  make  volumes.  From 
the  faithful  servants  at  Doughoregan  Manor  to  the 
President  of  the  United  States  there  came  expressions 
of  sorrow  and  tributes  of  admiration  and  love. 

In  1868  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  invited 
each  state  to  send  to.  Statuary  Hall  in  the  Capitol  at 
Washington  statues  of  two  of  its  citizens  that  it  most 
desired  to  honor  and  whose  fame  it  would  help  perpet 
uate  in  this  way.  The  State  of  Maryland  selected 
Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  as  its  first  choice  under 
the  terms  of  this  invitation. 

The  legislature  made  an  ample  appropriation,  the 
work  was  artistically  done  and  the  Statue  of  Charles 
Carroll  of  Carrollton  in  the  act  of  signing  the  Decla 
ration  of  Independence  stands  in  Statuary  Hall  sur 
rounded  by  others  who  have  contributed  to  the  found 
ing  and  upbuilding  of  this  Republic. 

But  strange  as  it  may  appear,  in  an  assemblage  of 
counterfeit  presentments  of  the  country's  great  men, 
selected  by  each  of  the  states  in  response  to  such  invi 
tation,  Mr.  Carroll  stands  in  the  company  of  but  four 
other  signers  and  one  of  these  is  John  Hanson  from 
his  own  state  of  Maryland. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 
THE  CARROLLS  OF  THE  PAST  AND  OF  TO-DAY 

The  history  of  the  Carroll  family  is  an  emphatic 
contradiction  of  the  oft  told  story  that  an  American 
family  '  *  runs  out ' '  in  about  the  third  or  fourth 
generation. 

The  Carrolls  have  been  strong  men  and  women 
intellectually,  morally  and  physically  through  all 
these  years.  The  first  Charles  Carroll  who  came  to 
America  from  Kings  County  was  a  man  powerful  in 
intellect  and  vigorous  as  well  as  successful  in  the 
accomplishment  of  his  purposes.  The  archives  show 
that  Charles  Carroll,  the  Attorney-General,  was  one 
of  the  most  influential  men  in  the  Province,  who 
founded  the  city  of  Baltimore,  introduced  the  manu 
facture  of  iron  and  accomplished  many  things  for  the 
good  of  the  people.  He  lived  to  see  his  son  the  Signer 
become  one  of  the  leading  and  most  useful  men  in  the 
Colonies,  and  himself  occupied  important  public  posi 
tion  in  his  75th  year.  Of  the  Signer  himself,  these 
pages  have  told  an  inadequate  but  fair  and  truthful 
story. 

Governor  John  Lee  Carroll  was  one  of  the  ablest 
and  best  men  the  State  of  Maryland  ever  produced. 
He  was  the  Centennial  Governor  of  the  Common 
wealth,  and  no  State  of  the  Union  in  1876  had  a  chief 
executive  of  whom  her  citizens  could  be  or  were  more 
justly  proud. 

Mr.  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton,  head  of  the 
family,  is  a  man  of  the  finest  social  and  business 
qualifications,  and  is  a  liberal  contributor  of  money 
and  effort  to  every  worthy  cause.  He  is  much  in 

[259] 


260  CHAELES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

France  of  late,  greatly  to  the  advantage  of  every 
work  in  which  his  countrymen  are  interested. 

Mr.  Philip  Acosta  Carroll  is  now  serving  his  coun 
try  as  captain  in  the  Aviation  service  of  the  American 
Expeditionary  Force  in  France.  He  is  a  brother  of 
the  present  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton. 

Mr.  Charles  Bancroft  Carroll,  the  youngest  grown 
up  member  of  the  family,  is  now  serving  his  country 
as  an  officer  in  the  United  States  Navy. 

FROM  AN  OLD  RECORD 

CHARLES  CARROLL  (alias  0 'Carroll),  second  son  of 
Daniel  0  'Carroll  of  Litterluna,  was  of  the  Inner  Tem 
ple,  London ;  emigrated  to  Maryland,  1688 ;  and  dying 
in  1747,  he  left  issue : 

Charles  Carroll  of  Doughoregan  Manor,  Howard 
County,  Md.,  b.  1702;  d.  1782;  Attorney-General  of 
Maryland.  He  m.  Elizabeth  Brooke,  and  had  a  son: 

Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton,  Md.,  b.  1737,  d.  1832; 
Signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  He  m., 
in  1768,  Mary,  daugther  of  Henry  Darnall,  Jr.,  and 
d.  1833.  He  left  issue : 

1.  Charles  Carroll,  of  whom  presently. 

2.  Mary,  m.  Richard  Caton  of  Maryland.    They  had 
four  daughters:   (1)  Marianne,  who  m.,  1st,  Robert 
Patterson;  2dly,  Oct.  25,  1825,  Richard  Colley,  Mar 
quis  of  Welle sley,  Lord  Lieutenant  of  Ireland,  Gov. 
Gen.  of  India,  and  elder  brother  of  Arthur,  Duke  of 
Wellington.     (2)     Elizabeth,     m.     Baron     Stafford. 
(3)   Louisa  Katherine,  m.  1st  Sir  Felton  Bathhurst 
Hervey,    Baronet;    2dly,    1828,    Francis    Godolphin 
D'Arcy,  seventh  Duke  of  Leeds.     (4)  Emily,  m.  John 
Mactavish,   British   Consul   in   Baltimore,   father   of 
Charles  Carroll  Mactavish,  who  married  a  daughter 
of  Gen.  Winfield  Scott,  U.  S.  A. 


CARROLLS  OF  THE  PAST  AND  TO-DAY    261 

3.  Catherine,  m.  Gen.  Robert  Goodloe  Harper  of 
South  Carolina,  and  had:  (1)  Charles,  m.  Miss 
Chafelle  of  South  Carolina  (2)  Robert,  died  at  sea 
(3)  Emily. 

Col.  Charles  Carroll,  only  son  of  Charles  Carroll, 
the  signer,  d.  1861;  m.  1799,  Harriet  Chew,  daughter 
of  Hon.  Benjamin  Chew,  Chief  Justice  of  Pennsyl 
vania,  and  had  issue: 

1.  Charles,  of  whom  presently. 

2.  Mary  Sophia,  b.  1804;  d.  at  Philadelphia  1886; 
m.  Richard  H.  Bayard,  U.  S.  Senator  from  Delaware ; 
d.  at  Philadelphia  1868.    They  had:  (1)  Mary  Louisa, 
m.,  1st  William  Henry  Beck,  d.  1859;  2dly,  Col.  Manlio 
Battarina.     (2)  Caroline,  m.  Henry  Baring  Powell  of 
Philadelphia ;  d.  1852,  and  had :  Mary  de  Vaux,  wife  of 
Rev.  George  Woolsey  Hodge  of  Philadelphia;  issue. 
(3)    Elizabeth,    m.    Col.    Frederick   Henry   Rich    of 
English    army.      (4)     Charles    Carroll,    U.    N.    N. 
(5)  Richard  Bassell,  d.  1878;  m.  1860,  Ellen  Gilmor 
Howard,  and  had:  Ellen  H.,  Richard  H.    (6)  Harriet, 
m.  Christian  Bors  of  Norway;  issue.     (7)  Louisa,  m. 
Richard    Ashhurst    Bowie    of    Philadelphia;    issue; 
Richard  H.  Bayard  Bowie  of  Philadelphia. 

3.  Louisa,  d.  1870;  m.  Isaac  Rand  Jackson  of  Phila 
delphia,  d.  1842,  and  had:  (1)  Harriet  Carroll,  who 
m.  Leonard  Douglas  H.  Currie  of  the  English  army; 
issue.     (2)  Charles  Carroll  of  New  York,  m.  Minnie 
Coster;   issue.     (3)    Oswald   of  New  York,  m.   Ella 
Willing.     (4)  Mary  Ellen,  m.  Nalbro  Frazier,  Jr.,  of 
Philadelphia;  issue;  Louisa,  Helena  C. 

4.  Harriet,  m.  John  Lee  of  Needwood,  Md.,  and  had : 
(1)  Mary  Digges,  d.  1868;  m.  Dr.  Jonathan  Letterman, 
U.  S.  A. ;  issue.    (2)  Dr.  Charles  Carroll  of  New  York, 
m.  Helen  Parish  of  Philadelphia;  issue.     (3)    Rev. 
Thomas  L.  Lee  of  Baltimore. 


262    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

5.  Elizabeth,  m.  Dr.  Aaron  B.  Tucker  of  Baltimore, 
Md.,  and  had:  (1)  Charles  Carroll,  who  m.  Susan 
Howell,  and  had :  John  H.,  Charles  H.  (2)  St.  George. 

Charles  Carroll  of  Doughoregan  Manor,  Mr.,  b. 
1801;  d.  1862;  m.  1825,  Mary  Digges,  daughter  of  John 
Lee  of  Norwood,  Frederick  Co.,  Md.,  and  had  issue : 

1.  Charles  of  Doughoregan  Manor,  d.  s.  p.    He  m. 
1858,  Caroline,  daughter  of  Judge  Lucas  P.  Thomp 
son,  of  Staunton,  Va. 

2.  John  Lee  of  Doughoregan  Manor,  ex-Governor 
of  Maryland.     He  m.  1st,  1856,  Anita,  daughter  of 
Royal  Phelps  of  New  York;  she  d.  1873.    He  m.  2dly, 
Mary  Carter,  daughter  of  Judge  Lucas  P.  Thompson, 
of  Staunton,  Va.  and  had :  Philip  Acosta.    By  his  first 
wife  he  had  (1)  Charles,  m.  Suzanne  Bancroft.     (2) 
Mary  Louise,  m.  8  Dec.  1886,  Count  Jean  de  Kergolay. 
(3)   Royal  Phelps  of  New  York,  m.,  1891,  Marion, 
daughter  of  Eugene  Langdon.    (4)  Helen,  m.  Herbert 
Daniel  Robbins.    (5)  John  Lee.    (6)  Anita,  m.  14  Oct. 
1886,  Baron  Louis  La  Grange.     (7)  Mary  Irene,  d. 
unm.  8  Nov.  1888. 

3.  Louise,  m.  George  Cavendish  Taylor  of  England ; 
issue. 

4.  Albert  Henry,  C.  S.  A.,  killed  in  battle  1862;  m., 
1858,  Mary   Cornelia,   daughter   of  William   George 
Read,  and  had:  (1)  Mary  Sophia,  (2)  Mary  Elinor. 
(3)  Agnes. 

5.  Robert  Goodloe  Harper  of  Baltimore,  m.,  1st, 
Eleanor  Thompson,  d.  s.  p.;  2dly,  1872,  Mary  D.  Lee 
of   Frederick   Co.,   Md.,   and   had:    (1)    Albert.    (2) 
Charles. 

6.  Helen  Sophia,  m.,  1863,  Charles  Oliver  O'Don- 
nell,   of  Baltimore,   and  had:    (1)    John.     (2)    Mary 
Acosta.     (3)  Aline. 

7.  Mary,  m.  Dr.  Elisee  Acosta  of  Paris ;  issue. 

8.  Thomas  Lee  of  Baltimore. 


CARROLLS  OF  THE  PAST  AND  TO-DAY    263 

Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton,  the  present  head  of 
the  family,  is  the  son  of  Governor  John  Lee  Carroll. 
He  married  Miss  Suzanne  Bancroft,  granddaughter 
of  George  Bancroft,  the  historian. 

His  son  is  Charles  Bancroft  Carroll,  who  married 
Miss  Anita  Hack  of  Baltimore,  in  April,  1914.  Mrs. 
Carroll  is  the  daughter  of  Mr.  Frederick  H.  Hack  of 
Baltimore  and  granddaughter  of  Mr.  B.  F.  Newcomer. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  Bancroft  Carroll  have  two  chil 
dren,  Charles  Carroll  and  Anita  Marie  Louise  Car 
roll.  Mr.  Charles  Bancroft  Carroll  is  an  officer  in  the 
United  States  Navy. 


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II 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE 

JULY  4,  1776 

(REPORTED  DRAFT) 

A  Declaration  by  the  Eepresentatives  of  the 
UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA  in  General  Con 
gress  assembled. 

When  in  the  course  of  human  events  it  becomes 
necessary  for  one  people  to  dissolve  the  political  bands 
which  have  connected  them  with  another  and  to  assume 
among  the  powers  of  the  earth  the  separate  and  equal 
station  to  which  the  laws  of  nature  and  of  nature's 
God  entitle  them,  a  decent  respect  to  the  opinions  of 
mankind  requires  that  they  should  declare  the  causes 
which  impel  them  to  the  separation. 

We  hold  these  truths  to  be  self-evident  that  all  men 
are  created  equal;  that  they  are  endowed  by  their 
creator  with  inherent  &  inalienable  rights,  that  among 
these  are  life,  liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness; 
that  to  secure  these  rights  governments  are  insti 
tuted  among  men  deriving  their  just  powers  from 
the  consent  of  the  governed ;  that  whenever  any  form 
of  government  becomes  destructive  of  these  ends,  it 
is  the  right  of  the  people  to  alter  or  abolish  it,  and 
to  institute  new  government,  laying  its  foundation 
on  such  principles  and  organizing  its  powers  in  such 
form,  as  to  them  shall  seem  most  likely  to  effect 
their  happiness.  Prudence  indeed  will  dictate  that 
governments  long  established  should  not  be  changed 
for  light  and  transient  causes:  and  accordingly  all 
experience  hath  shown  that  mankind  are  more  dis 
posed  to  suffer  while  evils  are  sufferable,  than  to 
right  themselves  by  abolishing  the  forms  to  which 

[265] 


266    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

they  are  accustomed.  But  when  a  long  train  of 
abuses  and  usurpations  begun  at  a  distinguished 
period  and  pursuing  invariably  the  same  object, 
evinces  a  design  to  reduce  them  under  absolute  despot 
ism,  it  is  their  right,  it  is  their  duty,  to  throw  off  such 
government  and  to  provide  new  guards  for  their  future 
security.  Such  has  been  the  patient  sufferance  of 
these  colonies,  and  such  is  now  the  necessity  which 
constrains  them  to  expunge  their  former  systems  of 
government.  The  history  of  the  present  king  of  Great 
Britain  is  a  history  of  unremitting  injuries  and  usurpa 
tions,  among  which  appears  no  solitary  fact  to  con 
tradict  the  uniform  tenor  of  the  rest;  but  all  having 
in  direct  object  the  establishment  of  an  absolute 
tyranny  over  these  states.  To  prove  this  let  facts 
be  submitted  to  a  candid  world,  for  the  truth  of  which 
we  pledge  a  faith  yet  unsullied  by  falsehood. 

He  has  refused  his  assent  to  laws  the  most  whole 
some  and  necessary  for  the  public  good : 

He  has  forbidden  his  governors  to  pass  laws  of 
immediate  and  pressing  importance,  unless  suspended 
in  their  operation  till  his  assent  should  be  obtained, 
and  when  so  suspended,  he  has  utterly  neglected  to 
attend  to  them. 

He  has  refused  to  pass  other  laws  for  the  accommo 
dation  of  large  districts  of  people  unless  those  people 
would  relinquish  the  right  of  representation,  in  the 
legislature,  a  right  inestimable  to  them,  and  formidable 
to  tyrants  only. 

He  has  called  together  legislative  bodies  at  places 
unusual,  uncomfortable  and  distant  from  the  deposi 
tory  of  their  public  records,  for  the  sole  purpose  of 
fatiguing  them  into  compliance  with  his  measures. 

He  has  dissolved  Representative  houses  repeatedly 
and  continually  for  opposing  with  manly  firmness  his 
invasions  on  the  right  of  the  people : 


DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE    267 

He  has  refused  for  a  long  time  after  such  dissolu 
tions  to  cause  others  to  be  elected  whereby  the  legisla 
tive  powers  incapable  of  annihilation,  have  returned 
to  the  people  at  large  for  their  exercise,  the  state 
remaining  in  the  mean  time  exposed  to  all  the  dangers 
of  invasion  from  without  and  convulsions  within : 

He  has  endeavored  to  prevent  the  population  of 
these  states,  for  that  purpose  obstructing  the  laws  of 
for  naturalization  of  foreigners;  refusing  to  pass 
others  to  encourage  their  migrations  hither ;  and  rais 
ing  the  conditions  of  new  appropriations  of  lands : 

He  has  suffered  the  administration  of  justice  totally 
to  cease  in  some  of  these  states,  refusing  his  assent 
to  laws  for  establishing  judiciary  powers  : 

He  has  made  judges  dependant  on  his  will  alone, 
for  the  tenure  of  their  offices  and  the  amount  and 
payment  of  their  salaries : 

He  has  erected  a  multitude  of  new  offices  by  a  self 
assumed  power  and  sent  hither  swarms  of  officers  to 
harass  our  people  and  eat  out  their  substance : 

He  has  kept  among  us  in  times  of  peace,  standing 
armies  and  ships  of  war  without  the  consent  of  our 
legislature : 

He  has  affected  to  render  the  military,  independent 
of  and  superior  to  the  civil  power : 

He  has  combined  with  others  to  subject  us  to  a  juris 
diction  foreign  to  our  constitutions  and  unacknowl 
edged  by  our  laws,  giving  his  assent  to  their  acts  of 
pretended  legislation,  for  quartering  large  bodies  of 
armed  troops  among  us;  for  protecting  them  by  a 
mock  trial  from  punishment  for  any  murders  which 
they  should  commit  on  the  inhabitants  of  these  states ; 
for  cutting  off  our  trade  with  all  parts  of  the  world; 
for  imposing  taxes  on  us  without  our  consent;  for 
depriving  us  in  many  cases  of  the  benefits  of  trial  by 
jury;  for  transporting  us  beyond  seas  to  be  tried  for 


268     CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

pretended  offences;  for  abolising  the  free  system  of 
English  laws  in  a  neighboring  province,  establishing 
therein  an  arbitrary  government  and  enlarging  its 
boundaries  so  as  to  render  it  at  once  an  example  and 
fit  instrument  for  introducing  the  same  absolute  rule 
into  these  colonies;  for  taking  away  our  charters, 
abolishing  our  most  valuable  laws,  and  fundamentally 
the  forms  of  our  governments,  for  suspending  our  own 
legislatures  and  declaring  themselves  invested  with 
power  to  legislate  for  us  in  all  cases  whatsoever : 

He  has  abdicated  governments  here,  withdrawing  his 
governors,  and  declaring  us  out  of  his  allegiance  and 
protection. 

He  has  plundered  our  seas,  ravaged  our  coasts, 
burnt  our  towns  and  destroyed  the  lives  of  our  people : 

He  is  at  this  time  transporting  large  armies  of 
foreign  mercenaries  to  complete  the  works  of  death, 
desolation  and  tyranny  already  begun  with  circum 
stances  of  cruelty  and  perfidy  unworthy  the  head  of  a 
civilized  nation : 

He  has  endeavored  to  bring  on  the  inhabitants  of 
our  frontiers  the  merciless  Indian  savages,  whose 
known  rule  of  warfare  is  an  undistinguished  destruc 
tion  of  all  ages,  sexes,  and  conditions  of  existence. 

He  has  incited  treasonable  insurrections  of  our 
fellow-citizens,  with  the  allurements  of  forfeiture  and 
confiscation  of  our  property : 

He  has  constrained  others,  taken  captive  on  the  high 
seas  to  bear  arms  against  their  country,  to  become  the 
executioners  of  their  friends  and  brethren,  or  to  fall 
themselves  by  their  hands : 

He  has  waged  cruel  war  against  human  nature  itself, 
violating  its  most  sacred  rights  of  life  and  liberty  in 
the  persons  of  distant  people,  who  never  offended 
him,  captivating  and  carrying  them  into  slavery  in 


DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE    269 

another  hemisphere,  or  to  incur  miserable  death  in 
their  transportation  thither.  This  piratical  warfare, 
the  opprobrium  of  infidel  powers,  is  the  warfare  of  the 
Christian  king  of  Great  Britain.  Determined  to  keep 
open  a  market  where  Men  should  be  bought  and  sold, 
he  has  prostituted  his  negative  for  suppressing  every 
legislative  attempt  to  prohibit  or  to  restrain  this  exe 
crable  commerce :  and  that  this  assemblage  of  horrors 
might  want  no  fact  of  distinguished  dye,  he  is  now 
exciting  those  very  people  to  rise  in  arms  among 
us,  and  to  purchase  that  liberty  of  which  he  has 
deprived  them  by  murdering  the  people  upon  whom 
he  also  obtruded  them;  thus  paying  off  former  crime 
committed  against  the  liberties  of  one  people,  with 
crimes  which  he  urges  them  to  commit  against  the  lives 
of  another. 

In  every  stage  of  these  oppressions  we  have  peti 
tioned  for  redress  in  the  most  humble  terms;  our 
repeated  petitions  have  been  answered  only  by  re 
peated  injuries.  A  prince  whose  character  is  thus 
marked  by  every  act  which  may  define  a  tyrant,  is 
unfit  to  be  the  ruler  of  a  people  who  mean  to  be  free. 
Future  ages  will  scarce  believe  that  the  hardiness  of 
one  man  adventured  within  the  short  compass  of  twelve 
years  only,  to  build  a  foundation,  so  broad  and  undis 
guised  for  tyranny  over  a  people  fostered  and  fixed 
in  the  principles  of  freedom. 

Nor  have  we  been  wanting  in  attentions  to  our 
British  brethren.  We  have  warned  them  from  time 
to  time  of  attempts  by  their  legislature  to  extend  an 
unwarrantable  jurisdiction  over  these  our  states.  We 
have  reminded  them  of  the  circumstances  of  our  emi 
gration  and  settlement  here,  no  one  of  which  could 
warrant  so  strange  a  pretension:  that  these  were 
effected  at  the  expense  of  our  own  blood  and  treasure, 


270    CHARLES  CAEROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

unassisted  by  the  wealth  of  strength  of  Great  Britain : 
that  in  constituting  indeed  our  several  forms  of  gov 
ernment,  we  had  adopted  a  common  king,  thereby  lay 
ing  a  foundation  for  perpetual  league  and  amity  with 
them :  but  that  submission  to  their  parliament  was  no 
part  of  our  constitution  nor  ever  in  idea,  if  history  be 
credited ;  and  we  have  appealed  to  their  native  justice 
and  magnanimity,  as  well  as  to  the  ties  of  our  common 
kindred,  to  disavow  these  usurpations  which  were 
likely  to  interrupt  our  connection  and  correspondence. 
They  too  have  been  deaf  to  the  voice  of  justice  and  of 
consanguinity,  and  when  occasions  have  been  given 
them,  by  the  regular  course  of  their  laws  of  remov 
ing  from  their  councils  the  disturbers  of  our  harmony, 
they  have  by  their  free  elections  re-established  them 
in  power.  At  this  very  time  they  are  permitting  their 
chief  magistrate  to  send  over  not  only  soldiers  of  our 
own  blood,  but  Scotch  and  other  foreign  mercenaries, 
to  invade  and  destroy  us.  These  facts  have  given  the 
last  stab  to  agonizing  affections,  and  manly  spirit  bids 
us  to  renounce  forever  these  unfeeling  brethren.  We 
must  endeavor  to  forget  our  former  love  for  them,  to 
hold  them  as  we  hold  the  rest  of  mankind  enemies  in 
war,  in  peace  friends. 

We  might  have  been  a  free  and  a  great  people 
together;  but  a  communication  of  grandeur  and  of 
freedom  it  seems,  is  below  their  dignity.  Be  it  so, 
since  they  will  have  it:  the  road  to  happiness  and  to 
glory  is  open  to  us  too;  we  will  climb  it  apart  from 
them,  and  acquiesce  in  the  necessity  which  denounces 
our  eternal  separation ! 

We  therefore  the  representatives  of  the  United 
States  in  General  Congress  assembled  in  the  name  and 
by  authority  of  the  good  people  of  these  states,  reject 
and  renounce  all  allegiance  and  subjection  to  the 


DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE    271 

kings  of  Great  Britain  and  all  others  who  may  here 
after  claim  by,  through,  or  under  them ;  we  utterly  dis 
solve  all  political  connection  which  may  heretofore 
have  subsisted  between  us  and  the  people  of  parlia 
ment  of  Great  Britain,  and  finally  we  do  assert  and 
declare  these  colonies  to  be  free  and  independant, 
and  that  as  free  and  independant  states,  they  have 
full  power  to  levy  war,  conclude  peace,  contract  alli 
ances,  establish  commerce,  and  to  do  all  other  acts  and 
things  which  independent  states  may  of  right  do.  And 
for  the  support  of  this  declaration  we  mutually  pledge 
to  each  other  our  lives,  our  fortunes,  and  our  sacred 
honour. 


272    CHAELES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

(ENGROSSED  COPY) 

In  Congress,  July  4, 1776.  The  Unanimous  Declara 
tion  of  the  thirteen  United  States  of  America. 

When  in  the  Course  of  human  events,  it  becomes 
necessary  for  one  people  to  dissolve  the  political  bands 
which  have  connected  them  with  another,  and  to 
assume  among  the  powers  of  the  earth,  the  separate 
and  equal  station  to  which  the  Laws  of  Nature  and  of 
Nature's  God  entitle  them,  a  decent  respect  to  the 
opinions  of  mankind  requires  that  they  should  declare 
the  causes  which  impel  them  to  the  separation. 

We  hold  these  truths  to  be  self-evident,  that  all  men 
are  created  equal,  that  they  are  endowed  by  their 
Creator  with  certain  inalienable  rights,  that  among 
these  are  Life,  Liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of  Happiness. 
-  That  to  secure  these  rights,  Governments  are  insti 
tuted  among  Men,  deriving  their  just  powers  from  the 
consent  of  the  governed. — That  whenever  any  Form 
of  Government  becomes  destructive  of  these  ends,  it 
is  the  right  of  the  People  to  alter  or  to  abolish  it,  and 
to  institute  new  Government,  laying  its  foundation  on 
such  principles,  and  organizing  its  powers  in  such 
form,  as  to  them  shall  seem  most  likely  to  effect  their 
Safety  and  Happiness.  Prudence,  indeed,  will  dictate 
that  Governments  long  established  should  not  be 
changed  for  light  and  transient  causes;  and  accord 
ingly  all  experience  hath  shown,  that  mankind  are  more 
disposed  to  suffer,  while  evils  are  sufferable,  than  to 
right  themselves  by  abolishing  the  forms  to  which 
they  are  accustomed.  But  when  a  long  train  of  abuses 
and  usurpation  pursuing  invariably  the  same  Object, 
evinces  a  design  to  reduce  them  under  absolute  Despot 
ism,  it  is  their  right,  it  is  their  duty,  to  throw  off  such 
Government,  and  to  provide  new  Guards  for  their 
future  security.  Such  has  been  the  patient  suffer- 


DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE    273 

ance  of  these  Colonies;  and  such  is  now  the  necessity 
which  constrains  them  to  alter  their  former  Systems 
of  Government.  The  history  of  the  present  King  of 
Great  Britain  is  a  history  of  repeated  injuries  and 
usurpations,  all  having  in  direct  object  the  establish 
ment  of  an  absolute  Tyranny  over  these  States.  To 
prove  this  let  Facts  be  submitted  to  a  candid  world. 

He  has  refused  his  Assent  to  Laws,  the  most  whole 
some  and  necessary  for  the  public  good. 

He  has  forbidden  his  Governors  to  pass  Laws  of 
immediate  and  pressing  importance,  unless  suspended 
in  their  opinion  till  his  Assent  should  be  obtained; 
and  when  so  suspended,  he  has  utterly  neglected  to 
attend  to  them. 

He  has  refused  to  pass  other  Laws  for  the  accommo 
dation  of  large  districts  of  people,  unless  those  people 
would  relinquish  the  right  of  Representation  in  the 
Legislature,  a  right  inestimable  to  them,  and  formid 
able  to  tyrants  only. 

He  has  called  together  legislative  bodies  at  places 
unusual,  uncomfortable,  and  distant  from  the  deposi 
tory  of  their  public  Records,  for  the  sule  purpose  of 
fatiguing  them  into  compliance  with  his  measures. 

He  has  dissolved  Representative  Houses  repeatedly 
for  opposing  with  manly  firmness  his  invasions  on  the 
rights  of  the  people. 

He  has  refused  for  a  long  time  after  such  dissolu 
tions  to  cause  others  to  be  elected,  whereby  the  Legis 
lative  powers,  incapable  of  Annihilation  have  returned 
to  the  People  at  large  for  their  exercise,  the  State 
remaining,  in  the  meantime,  exposed  to  all  the  dangers 
of  invasion  from  without,  and  convulsions  within. 

He  has  endeavored  to  prevent  the  population  of 
these  States;  for  that  purpose  obstructing  the  Laws 
for  Naturalization  of  Foreigners;  refusing  to  pass 


274    CHARLES  CAEEOLL  OF  CAEEOLLTON 

others  to  encourage  their  migrations  hither,  and  rais 
ing  the  conditions  of  new  Appropriations  of  Lands. 

He  has  obstructed  the  Administration  of  Justice  by 
refusing  his  Assent  to  Laws  for  establishing  Judiciary 
powers. 

He  has  made  Judges  dependent  on  his  Will  alone, 
for  the  tenure  of  their  offices,  and  the  amount  and 
payment  of  their  salaries. 

He  has  erected  a  multitude  of  New  Offices,  and  sent 
hither  swarms  of  Officers  to  harass  the  people,  and  eat 
out  their  substance. 

He  has  kept  among  us,  in  times  of  peace,  Standing 
Armies  without  the  Consent  of  our  legislatures. 

He  has  affected  to  render  the  Military  independent 
of  and  superior  to  the  Civil  power. 

He  has  combined  with  others  to  subject  us  to  a  juris 
diction  foreign  to  our  constitution,  and  unacknowl 
edged  by  our  laws;  giving  his  Assent  to  their  Acts 
of  pretended  Legislation :  —  For  quartering  large 
bodies  of  armed  troops  among  us: — For  protect 
ing  them,  by  a  mock  Trial  from  punishment  from 
any  Murders  which  they  should  commit  on  the  Inhab 
itants  of  the  States : —  For  cutting  off  our  trade  with 
all  parts  of  the  world: — For  imposing  Taxes  on  us 
without  our  Consent: — For  depriving  us  in  many 
cases  of  the  benefits  of  Trial  by  jury: — For  trans 
porting  us  beyond  Seas  to  be  tried  for  pretended 
offences : —  For  abolishing  the  free  System  of  English 
Laws  in  a  neighbouring  Province,  establishing  therein 
an  Arbitrary  government,  and  enlarging  its  Bound 
aries  so  as  to  render  it  at  once  an  example  and  fit 
instrument  for  introducing  the  same  absolute  rule 
into  these  Colonies: — For  taking  away  our  Charters, 
abolishing  our  most  valuable  Laws,  and  altering 
fundamentally  the  Forms  of  our  Governments : —  For 


DECLAEATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE    275 

suspending  our  own  Legislatures,  and  declaring  them 
selves  invested  with  power  to  legislate  for  us  in  all 
cases  whatsoever. 

He  has  abdicated  Government  here  by  declaring  us 
out  of  his  Protection  and  waging  war  against  us : — 

He  has  plundered  our  seas,  ravaged  our  Coasts, 
burnt  our  towns,  and  destroyed  the  Lives  of  our 
people. 

He  is  at  this  time  transporting  large  Armies  of 
foreign  Mercenaries  to  compleat  the  works  of  death, 
desolation,  and  tyranny,  already  begun  with  circum 
stances  of  cruelty  and  perfidy  scarcely  paralleled  in 
the  most  barbarous  ages,  totally  unworthy  the  Head  of 
a  civilized  nation. 

He  has  excited  domestic  insurrection  among  us,  and 
has  endeavoured  to  bring  on  the  inhabitants  of  our 
frontier,  the  merciless  Indian  Savages,  whose  known 
rule  of  warfare,  is  an  undistinguished  destruction  of 
all  ages,  sexes  and  conditions. 

He  has  constrained  our  fellow  citizens  taken  Captive 
on  the  high  Seas,  to  bear  arms  against  their  Country, 
to  become  the  executioners  of  their  friends  and 
Brethen,  or  to  fall  themselves  by  their  Hands. 

In  every  stage  of  these  Oppressions  We  have  Peti 
tioned  for  Eedress  in  the  most  humble  terms:  Our 
repeated  Petitions  have  been  answered  only  by  re 
peated  injuries. 

A  Prince  whose  character  is  thus  marked  by  every 
act  which  may  define  a  Tyrant,  is  unfit  to  be  the  ruler 
of  a  free  people. 

Nor  have  We  been  wanting  in  attentions  to  our 
British  brethren.  We  have  warned  them  from  time  to 
time  of  attempts  by  their  legislature  to  extend  an 
unwarrantable  jurisdiction  over  us.  We  have  reminded 
them  of  the  circumstances  of  our  emigration  and 
settlement  here.  We  have  appealed  to  their  native 


276    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

justice  and  magnanimity  and  we  have  conjured  them 
by  the  ties  of  our  common  kindred  to  disavow  these 
usurpations  which  would  inevitably  interrupt  our  con 
nection  and  correspondence.  They  too  have  been  deaf 
to  the  voice  of  justice  and  of  consanguinity.  We  must 
therefore  acquiesce  in  the  necessity  which  denounces 
our  separation  and  hold  them,  as  we  hold  the  rest  of 
mankind,  Enemies  in  War,  in  Peace  Friends. 

We,  therefore,  the  Representatives  of  the  United 
States  of  America,  in  General  Congress  Assembled, 
appealing  to  the  Supreme  Judge  of  the  world  for  the 
rectitude  of  our  intentions,  do,  in  the  Name,  and  by 
Authority  of  the  good  People  of  these  Colonies,  sol 
emnly  publish  and  declare,  that  these  United  Colonies 
are,  and  of  Right  ought  to  be  Free  and  Independent 
States;  that  they  are  Absolved  from  all  allegiance  to 
the  British  Crown,  and  that  all  political  connection 
between  them  and  the  State  of  Great  Britain,  is  and 
ought  to  be  totally  dissolved;  and  that  as  Free  and 
Independent  states,  they  have  full  power  to  levy  War, 
conclude  Peace,  contract  Alliances,  establish  commerce, 
and  to  do  all  other  Acts  and  Things  which  Independent 
States  may  of  right  do. 

And  for  the  support  of  this  Declaration,  with  a  firm 
reliance  on  the  protection  of  divine  Providence,  we 
mutually  pledge  to  each  other  our  Lives,  our  Fortunes, 
and  our  Sacred  Honor. 


APPENDIX 


THE  JOURNAL 

No  life  of  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  would  be 
complete  without  having  this  Journal  appended.  Mr. 
Carroll  regarded  this  trip  as  one  of  the  very  interest 
ing  experiences  of  his  life  and  always  discussed  it  with 
great  interest  and  pleasure. 

Congress  and  General  Washington  believed  that  a 
clearer  understanding  between  this  country  and 
Canada  should  be  assured.  To  that  end  a  commission 
was  named  to  go  to  Canada  and  endeavor  to  bring 
about  a  better  understanding.  This  committee  con 
sisted  of  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton,  his  cousin 
Eev.  John  Carroll,  then  a  priest  in  Maryland,  and 
afterwards  the  first  Catholic  Bishop  of  America, 
Benjamin  Franklin  and  Samuel  Chase. 

April  2d,  1776.  Left  New  York  at  5  o'clock  p.  M.; 
sailed  up  North  Eiver  or  Hudson's,  that  afternoon, 
about  thirteen  miles.  About  one  o'clock  in  the  night 
were  awaked  by  the  firing  of  cannon ;  heard  three  great 
guns  distinctly  from  the  Asia;  soon  saw  a  great  fire, 
which  we  presumed  to  be  a  house  on  Bedloe's  Island, 
set  on  fire  by  a  detachment  of  our  troops.  Intelli 
gence  had  been  received  that  the  enemy  were  throw 
ing  up  intrenchments  on  that  island,  and  it  had  been 
determined  by  our  generals  to  drive  them  off.  Dr. 
Franklin  went  upon  deck,  and  saw  waving  flashes  of 
light  appearing  suddenly  and  disappearing,  which  he 
conjectured  to  be  the  fire  of  musketry,  although  he 
could  not  hear  the  report. 

[277] 


278    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

3rd.  A  bad,  rainy  day;  wind  north-east;  quite 
ahead.  A.  M.,  eleven  o'clock,  opposite  to  Colonel  Phil 
lips'  (a  tory) ;  pretty  situation  near  the  river;  garden 
sloping  down  to  it,  house  has  a  pretty  appearance;  a 
church  a  little  distance  on  the  south  side,  surrounded 
by  cedar  trees.  The  banks  of  the  river,  on  the  western 
side  exceedingly  steep  and  rocky;  pine  trees  growing 
amidst  the  rocks.  On  the  eastern  or  New  York  side, 
the  banks  are  not  near  so  steep,  they  decline  pretty 
gradually  to  the  water's  edge.  The  river  is  straight 
hitherto.  About  five  o  'clock  wind  breezed  up  from  the 
south ;  got  under  way,  and  ran  with  a  pretty  easy  gale 
as  far  as  the  highlands,  forty  miles  from  New  York. 
The  river  here  is  greatly  contracted,  and  the  lands  on 
each  side  very  lofty.  When  we  got  into  this  strait 
the  wind  increased,  and  blew  in  violent  flaws;  in 
doubling  one  of  these  steep  craggy  points  we  were  in 
danger  of  running  on  the  rocks ;  endeavored  to  double 
the  cape  called  St.  Anthony's  nose,  but  all  our  efforts 
proved  ineffectual;  obliged  to  return  some  way  back 
in  the  straits  to  seek  shelter;  in  doing  this  our  main 
sail  was  split  to  pieces  by  a  sudden  and  most  violent 
blast  of  wind  off  the  mountains.  Came  to  anchor; 
blew  a  perfect  storm  all  night  and  all  day  the  fourth. 
Remained  all  day  (the  fourth)  in  Thunder  Hill  bay, 
about  half  a  mile  below  Cape  St.  Anthony's  nose,  and 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  Thunder  Hill.  Our  crew  were 
employed  all  this  day  in  repairing  the  mainsail.  The 
country  around  about  this  bay  has  a  wild  and  roman 
tic  appearance;  the  hills  are  almost  perpendicularly 
steep,  and  covered  with  rocks  and  trees  of  a  small  size. 
The  hill  called  St.  Anthony's  nose  is  said  to  be  full  of 
sulphur.  I  make  no  doubt  this  place  has  experienced 
some  violent  convulsion  from  subterraneous  fire;  the 
steepness  of  the  hills,  their  correspondence,  the  nar- 


APPENDIX  279 

rowness  of  the  river,  and  its  depth  all  confirm  me  in 
this  opinion. 

5th.  Wind  at  north-east,  mainsail  not  yet  repaired. 
Sailed  about  twelve  o'clock  from  Thunder  Hill  bay; 
just  before  we  doubled  Cape  St.  Anthony's  nose,  Mr. 
Chase  and  I  landed  to  examine  a  beautiful  fall  of 
water.  Mr.  Chase,  very  apprehensive  of  the  leg  of 
mutton  being  boiled  too  much,  impatient  to  get  on 
board;  wind  breezing  up,  we  had  near  a  mile  to  row 
to  overtake  the  vessel.  As  soon  as  we  doubled  Cape 
St.  Anthony's  nose  a  beautiful  prospect  opened  on  us. 
The  river,  from  this  place  to  Constitution  fort,  built 
on  Marbler's  rock,  forms  a  fine  canal,  surrounded  with 
high  hills  of  various  shapes,  one,  in  particular,  resem 
bles  a  sugar  loaf,  and  is  so  called.  About  three  miles 
from  Cape  St.  Anthony's  nose  is  another  beautiful 
cascade  called  '  '  The  Buttermilk. ' '  This  is  formed  by 
a  rivulet  which  flows  from  a  lake  on  the  top  of  a 
neighboring  mountain,  this  lake,  we  were  told,  abounds 
with  trout  and  perch.  Arrived  about  five  o'clock  at 
Constitution  fort;  Mr.  Chase  went  with  me  on  shore 
to  visit  the  fort;  it  is  built  on  a  rock  called  Marbler's 
rock;  the  river  at  this  place  makes  a  sudden  bend  to 
the  west;  the  battery  (for  it  does  not  deserve  the  name 
of  a  fort,  being  quite  open  on  the  northeast  side) 
has  two  flanks,  one  fronting  the  south,  and  the  other 
the  west;  —  on  the  south  flank  were  planted  thirteen 
six  and  one  nine  pounder ;  on  the  west  flank,  seven  nine 
pounders  and  one  six  pounder,  but  there  were  no  can 
noneers  in  the  fort,  and  only  one  hundred  and  two  men 
fit  to  do  duty ;  —  they  intend  to  erect  another  battery 
on  an  eminence  called  Gravel  hill,  which  will  command 
vessels,  coming  up  the  river  as  soon  as  they  double 
Cape  St.  Anthony's  nose.  A  little  above  this  cape  a 
battery  is  projected  to  annoy  the  enemy's  vessels,  to 
be  called  Fort  Montgomery;  they  intend  another  bat- 


280  CHAELES  CARROLL  OF  CAEROLLTON 

tery  lower  down  the  river,  and  a  little  below  Cape  St. 
Anthony's  nose.  In  the  highlands  are  many  con 
venient  spots  to  construct  batteries  on;  but  in  order 
to  make  them  answer  the  intended  purpose,  weighty 
metal  should  be  placed  on  these  batteries,  and  skillful 
gunners  should  be  engaged  to  serve  the  artillery. 
About  nine  o'clock  at  night,  the  tide  making,  we 
weighed  anchor,  and  came  to  again  about  two  o  'clock  in 
the  morning,  the  sixth  instant.  The  river  is  remark 
ably  deep  all  the  way  through  the  highlands,  and  the 
tide  rapid.  When  we  came  to  an  anchor  off  Constitu 
tion  fort  we  found  the  depth  of  water  above  thirty 
fathoms.  These  highlands  present  a  number  of  roman 
tic  views,  the  steep  hills  overshadow  the  water,  and 
in  some  places  the  rocks,  should  they  be  rolled  down, 
would  fall  into  the  river  several  feet  from  the  banks 
on  which  they  stood.  This  river  seems  intended  by 
nature  to  open  a  communication  between  Canada  and 
the  province  of  New  York  by  water,  and,  by  some  great 
convulsion  a  passage  has  been  opened  to  the  waters  of 
Hudson's  Eiver  through  the  highlands.  These  are 
certainly  a  spur  of  the  Endless  mountains. 

6th.  Weighed  anchor  about  seven  o'clock  in  the 
morning;  had  a  fine  breeze;  the  country  more  culti 
vated  above  the  highlands ;  passed  several  mills,  all  of 
them  overshot;  saw  two  frigates  on  the  stocks  at 
Pokeepsay,  building  for  the  service  of  the  United 
Colonies ;  saw  a  great  many  lime-kilns  in  our  run  this 
morning,  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  the  banks  of  which 
begin  to  slope  more  gradually  to  the  water 's  edge.  We 
wrote  to  General  Heath,  from  off  the  Constitution  fort, 
and  sent  the  letter  to  the  commanding  officer  of  the 
fort,  with  orders  to  forward  it  by  express  immediately 
to  the  general  at  New  York.  The  purport  of  the  letter 
was  to  inform  the  general  of  the  very  defenceless  con 
dition  of  the  fort,  that  measures  might  be  immediately 


APPENDIX  281 

taken  to  put  it  in  a  better  posture  of  defence.  If 
Howe  was  a  man  of  enterprise,  and  knew  of  the  weak 
state  of  the  fort,  he  might  take  it  in  it's  present  situa 
tion  with  sixty  men,  and  without  cannon.  He  might 
land  his  party  a  little  below  the  fort  on  the  east  side, 
march  over  a  marsh,  and  attack  it  on  the  back  part.  It 
was  proposed  to  erect  a  battery  of  some  cannon  to 
sweep  this  marsh ;  but  this,  and  also  the  battery  above 
mentioned,  on  Gravel  hill,  have  been  strangely 
neglected,  and  nothing  as  yet  has  been  done  towards 
constructing  either  of  these  batteries,  more  than 
levelling  the  top  of  Gravel  hill. 

Six  o'clock  P.  M.,  came  to  anchor  four  miles  from 
Albany ;  had  a  most  glorious  run  this  day,  and  a  most 
pleasant  sail;  including  our  run  in  the  night,  we  ran 
this  day  ninety-six  miles  —  Constitution  fort  being 
one  hundred  miles  from  Albany,  and  sixty  from  New 
York.  We  passed  several  country  houses  pleasantly 
situated  on  the  banks,  or  rather,  eminences  command 
ing  the  banks  of  the  river;  the  grounds  we  could  dis 
cover  from  the  vessel  did  not  appear  to  be  highly 
improved.  We  had  a  distant  view  of  the  Katskill  moun 
tains.  These  are  said  to  be  some  of  the  highest  in 
North  America;  they  had  a  pleasing  appearance,  the 
weather  being  somewhat  hazy,  they  appeared  like 
bluish  clouds  at  a  great  distance ;  when  we  were  near 
est  to  them,  they  were  distant  about  ten  miles.  Vast 
tracts  of  land  on  each  side  of  Hudson's  river  are  held 
by  the  proprietaries,  or,  as  they  are  here  styled,  the 
Patrones  of  manors.  One  of  the  Ransalaers  has  a 
grant  of  twenty  miles  on  each  side  of  the  river.  Mr. 
Robert  R.  Livingston  informed  me  that  he  held  three 
hundred  thousand  acres.  I  am  told  there  are  but  ten 
original  patentees  between  Albany  and  the  Highlands. 
The  descendants  of  the  first  proprietaries  of  these 


282    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

immense  tracts  still  keep  them  in  possession ;  necessity 
has  not  as  yet  forced  any  of  them  to  sell  any  part. 

7th.  Weighed  anchor  this  morning  about  six  o  'clock. 
Wind  fair ;  having  passed  over  the  over  slaw,  had  a  dis 
tinct  view  of  Albany,  distant  about  two  miles ; —  landed 
at  Albany  at  half  past  seven  o  'clock ;  received  at  land 
ing,  by  GENERAL  SCHUYLER,  who,  understanding  we 
were  coming  up,  came  from  his  house,  about  a  mile  out 
of  town,  to  receive  us  and  invite  us  to  dine  with  him ; 
he  behaved  with  great  civility;  lives  in  pretty  style; 
has  two  daughters  (Betsy  and  Peggy)  lively,  agree 
able,  black-eyed  girls.  Albany  is  situated  partly  on  a 
level,  and  partly  on  the  slope  of  a  hill,  or  rising 
ground,  on  the  west  side  of  the  river.  Vessels  drawing 
eight  and  nine  feet  of  water  may  come  to  Albany,  and 
five  miles  beyond  it,  at  this  season  of  the  year,  when 
the  waters  are  out.  The  fort  is  in  a  ruinous  condition, 
and  not  a  single  gun  mounted  on  it.  There  are  more 
houses  in  this  town  than  in  Annapolis,  and  I  believe  it 
to  be  much  more  populous.  The  citizens  chiefly  speak 
Dutch,  being  mostly  the  descendants  of  Dutchmen ;  but 
the  English  language  and  manners  are  getting  ground 
apace. 

9th.  Left  Albany  early  this  morning,  and  travelled 
in  a  wagon  in  company  with  Mrs.  Schuyler,  her  two 
daughters,  and  Generals  Schuyler  and  Thomas.  At 
six  miles  from  Albany  I  quitted  the  wagon  and  got  on 
horseback  to  accompany  the  generals  to  view  the  falls 
on  the  Mohawk's  river,  called  the  Cohoos.  The  per 
pendicular  fall  is  seventy-four  feet,  and  the  breadth  of 
the  river  at  this  place,  as  measured  by  General  Schuy 
ler,  is  one  thousand  feet.  The  fall  is  considerably 
above  one  hundred  feet,  taken  from  the  first  ripple  or 
still  water  above  the  perpendicular  fall.  The  river 
was  swollen  with  the  melting  of  the  snows  and  rains, 
and  rolled  over  the  frightful  precipice  an  impetuous 


APPENDIX  283 

torrent.  The  foam,  the  irregularities  in  the  fall 
broken  by  projecting  rocks,  and  the  deafening  noise, 
presented  a  sublime  but  terrifying  spectacle.  At  fifty 
yards  from  the  place  the  water  dropped  from  the 
trees,  as  it  does  after  a  plentiful  shower,  they  being 
as  wet  with  the  ascending  vapor  as  they  commonly  are 
after  a  smart  rain  of  some  continuance.  The  bottoms 
adjoining  the  river  Hudson  are  fine  lands,  and 
appeared  to  be  well  cultivated;  most  of  them  that  we 
passed  through  were  in  wheat,  which  though  commonly 
overflowed  in  the  spring,  we  were  informed  by  our 
driver,  suffered  no  hurt,  but  were  rather  improved  by 
inundation.  We  arrived  in  the  evening,  a  little  before 
sunset,  at  Saratoga,  the  seat  of  General  Schuyler,  dis 
tant  from  Albany  thirty-two  miles.  We  spent  the  whole 
day  in  the  journey,  occasioned  by  the  badness  of  the 
roads,  and  the  delay  the  wagons  met  with  in  crossing 
two  ferries.  The  roads  at  this  season  of  the  year  are 
generally  bad,  but  now  worse  than  ever,  owing  to  the 
great  number  of  wagons  employed  in  carrying  the 
baggage  of  the  regiments  marching  into  Canada,  and 
supplies  to  the  army  in  that  country.  General  Schuy 
ler  informed  me  that  an  uninterrupted  water-carriage 
between  New  York  and  Quebec  might  be  perfected  at 
fifty  thousand  pounds  sterling  expense,  by  means  of 
locks,  and  a  small  canal  cut  from  a  branch  which  falls 
into  Hudson's  river;  the  distance  is  not  more  than 
three  miles.  The  river  Eichelieu  or  Sorel,  is  nav 
igable  for  batteaux  from  the  Lake  Champlain  into  the 
St.  Lawrence.  The  rapids,  below  St.  John's,  are  not 
so  considerable  as  to  obstruct  the  navigation  of  such 
vessels. 

The  lands  about  Saratoga  are  very  good,  particu 
larly  the  bottom  lands.  Hudson's  river  runs  within 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the  house,  and  you  have  a  pleas 
ing  view  of  it  for  two  or  three  miles  above  and  below. 


284    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

A  stream  called  Fishkill,  which  rises  out  of  Lake  Sara 
toga,  about  six  miles  from  the  general's  house,  runs 
close  by  it,  and  turns  several  mills;  one,  a  grist  mill, 
two  saw  mills  (one  of  them  carrying  fourteen  saw) 
and  a  hemp  and  flax  mill.  This  mill  is  a  new  con 
struction,  and  answers  equally  well  in  breaking  hemp 
or  flax.  I  requested  the  general  to  get  a  model  made 
for  me  by  the  person  who  built  it.  Descriptions  of 
machines  are  seldom  accurately  made,  and  when 
done  with  exactness  are  seldom  understood.  I  was 
informed  by  the  general  that  it  is  customary  for  the 
great  proprietaries  of  lands  to  lease  them  out  for  three 
lives,  sometimes  on  fee-farm-rents,  reserving  by  way 
of  rent,  a  fourth,  or,  more  commonly,  a  tenth  of  all  the 
produce ;  but  the  proprietaries  content  themselves  with 
a  tenth  of  the  wheat.  On  every  transmutation  of 
property,  from  one  tenant  to  another,  a  quarter  part 
of  what  the  land  sells  for  is  sometimes  paid  to  the 
original  proprietary,  or  lord  of  the  manor.  The  gen 
eral  observed  to  me  that  this  was  much  the  most 
advantageous  way  of  leasing  lands ;  that  in  the  course 
of  a  few  years,  from  the  frequent  transmutations  of 
tenants,  the  alienation  fines  would  exceed  the  purchase 
of  the  fee-simple,  though  sold  at  a  high  valuation. 
General  Schuyler  is  a  man  of  a  good  understanding 
improved  by  reflection  and  study ;  he  is  of  a  very  active 
turn,  and  fond  of  husbandry,  and  when  the  present  dis 
tractions  are  composed,  if  his  infirm  state  of  health 
will  permit  him,  will  make  Saratoga  a  most  beautiful 
and  most  valuable  estate.  He  saws  up  great  quan 
tities  of  plank  at  his  mills,  which  before  this  war,  was 
disposed  of  in  the  neighborhood,  but  the  greater  part 
of  it  sent  to  Albany. 

llth.  Generals  Thomas  and  Schuyler  set  off  this 
morning  for  Lake  George;  the  former  to  be  in  readi 
ness  to  cross  the  lake  on  the  first  breaking  up  of  the 


APPENDIX  285 

ice,  the  latter  to  forward  the  embarkation  and  trans 
portation  of  military  stores  and  supplies. 

12th.  It  snowed  all  this  morning  until  eleven  o  'clock ; 
the  snow  above  six  inches  deep  on  the  ground ;  it  was 
not  off  the  neighboring  hills  when  we  left  Saratoga. 

16th.  This  morning  we  set  off  from  Saratoga;  I 
parted  with  regret  from  the  amiable  family  of  Gen 
eral  Schuyler:  the  ease  and  affability  with  which  we 
were  treated,  and  the  lively  behavior  of  the  young 
ladies,  made  Saratoga  a  most  pleasant  sejour,  the 
remembrance  of  which  will  long  remain  with  me.  We 
rode  from  Saratoga  to  McNeill's  ferry  (distance  two 
miles  and  a  half),  crossed  Hudson's  river  at  this  place 
and  rode  on  to  one  mile  above  Fort  Miller,  which  is 
distant  from  McNeill's  two  miles.  A  Mr.  Dover  has 
a  country-seat  near  Fort  Miller;  you  see  his  house 
from  the  road.  There  is  a  very  considerable  fall  in 
the  river  at  Fort  Miller.  Just  above  it  our  baggage 
was  put  into  another  boat;  it  had  been  brought  in  a 
wagon  from  Saratoga  to  McNeilPs,  carried  over  the 
ferry  in  a  wagon,  and  then  put  on  board  a  boat,  in 
which  it  was  conveyed  to  the  foot  of  Fort  Miller  Falls ; 
then  carried  overland  a  quarter  of  a  mile  and  put  into 
a  second  boat.  At  a  mile  from  Fort  Miller  we  got  into 
a  boat  and  went  up  the  Hudson  river  to  Fort  Edward. 
Although  this  fort  is  but  seven  miles  distant  from  the 
place  where  we  took  boat,  we  were  above  four  hours 
rowing  up.  The  current  is  exceedingly  rapid,  and  the 
rapidity  was  increased  by  a  freshet.  In  many  places 
the  current  was  so  strong  that  the  batteau  men  were 
obliged  to  set  up  with  poles,  and  drag  the  boat  by 
the  painter.  Although  these  fellows  were  active  and 
expert  at  this  business,  it  was  with  the  greatest  diffi 
culty  they  could  stem  the  current  in  particular  places. 
The  congress  keeps  in  pay  three  companies  of  batteau 
men  on  Hudson's  river,  consisting  each  of  thirty-three 


286    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CAEROLLTON 

men  with  a  captain;  the  pay  of  the  men  is  £4.10  per 
month.  The  lands  bordering  on  Hudson's  river,  as 
you  approach  Fort  Edward,  become  more  sandy,  and 
the  principal  wood  that  grows  on  them  is  pine.  There 
are  several  saw  mills  both  above  and  below  Fort  Miller. 
The  planks  sawed  at  the  mills  above  Fort  Miller  are 
made  up  into  small  rafts  and  left  without  guides  to 
the  current  of  the  river;  each  one  is  marked,  so  that 
the  raftmen  that  remain  just  below  Fort  Miller  Falls, 
watching  for  them  coming  down,  may  easily  know  their 
own  rafts.  When  they  come  over  the  falls  they  go 
out  in  canoes  and  boats  and  tow  their  rafts  ashore,  and 
then  take  them  to  pieces  and  make  them  again  into 
larger  rafts.  The  smaller  rafts  are  called  cribs.  The 
ruins  only  of  Fort  Edward  remain;  there  is  a  good, 
large  inn,  where  we  found  quartered  Colonel  Sinclair 's 
regiment.  Mr.  Allen,  son  of  old  Mr.  Allen,  is  lieu 
tenant-colonel  ;  he  received  us  very  politely,  and  accom 
modated  us  with  beds.  The  officers  of  this  regiment 
are,  in  general,  fine  sized  men,  and  seemed  to  be  on  a 
friendly  footing;  the  soldiers  also  are  stout  fellows. 
17th.  Having  breakfasted  with  Colonel  Allen,  we 
set  off  from  Fort  Edward  on  our  way  to  Fort  George. 
We  had  not  got  a  mile  from  the  fort  when  a  messenger 
from  General  Schuyler  met  us.  He  was  sent  with  a 
letter  by  the  general  to  inform  us  that  Lake  George 
was  not  open,  and  to  desire  us  to  remain  at  an  inn 
kept  by  one  Wing  at  seven  miles  distance  from  Fort 
Edward  and  as  many  from  Fort  George.  The  country 
between  Wing's  tavern  and  Fort  Edward  is  very 
sandy  and  somewhat  hilly.  The  principal  wood  is 
pine.  At  Fort  Edward  the  river  Hudson  makes  a 
sudden  turn  to  the  westward ;  it  soon  again  resumes  its 
former  north  course,  for,  at  a  small  distance,  we  found 
it  on  our  left  and  parallel  with  the  road  which  we 
travelled,  and  which,  from  Fort  Edward  to  Fort 


APPENDIX  287 

George,  lies  nearly  north  and  south.  At  three  miles, 
or  thereabouts,  from  Fort  Edward,  is  a  remarkable 
fall  in  the  river.  We  could  see  it  from  the  road,  but 
not  so  as  to  form  any  judgment  of  its  height.  We 
were  informed  that  it  was  upwards  of  thirty  feet,  and 
is  called  the  Kingsbury  falls.  We  could  distinctly  see 
the  spray  arising  like  a  vapor  or  fog  from  the  violence 
of  the  fall.  The  banks  of  the  river,  above  and  below 
these  falls  for  a  mile  or  two,  are  remarkably  steep  and 
high,  and  appear  to  be  formed  or  faced  with  a  kind 
of  stone  very  much  resembling  slate.  The  banks  of 
the  Mohawk's  river  at  the  Cohooes  are  faced  with  the 
same  sort  of  stone;  it  is  said  to  be  an  indication  of 
sea-coal.  Mr.  Wing's  tavern  is  in  the  township  of 
Queensbury,  and  Charlotte  county;  Hudson's  river  is 
not  above  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  his  house.  There 
is  a  most  beautiful  fall  in  the  river  at  this  place.  From 
still  water,  to  the  foot  of  the  fall,  I  imagine  the  fall 
cannot  be  less  than  sixty  feet,  but  the  fall  is  not  per 
pendicular;  it  may  be  about  a  hundred  and  twenty  or 
a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long,  and  in  this  length,  it  is 
broken  into  three  distinct  falls,  one  of  which  may  be 
twenty-five  feet  nearly  perpendicular.  I  saw  Mr. 
Wing's  patent  —  the  reserved  quit-rent  is  two  shillings 
and  six-pence  sterling  per  hundred  acres;  but  he 
informs  me  it  has  never  been  yet  collected. 

18th.  We  set  off  from  Wing's  tavern  about  twelve 
o'clock  this  day,  and  reached  Fort  George  about  two 
o'clock;  the  distance  is  eight  miles  and  a  half;  you 
cannot  discover  the  lake  until  you  come  to  the  heights 
surrounding  it,  the  descent  from  which  to  the  lake  is 
nearly  a  mile  long;  from  these  heights  you  have  a 
beautiful  view  of  the  lake  for  fifteen  miles  down  it. 
Its  greatest  breadth  during  these  fifteen  miles  does  not 
exceed  a  mile  and  a  quarter,  to  judge  by  the  eye,  which, 
however,  is  a  very  fallacious  way  of  estimating  dis- 


288    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

tances.  Several  rocky  islands  appear  in  the  lake,  cov 
ered  with  a  species  of  cedar  called  here  hemlock.  Fort 
George  is  in  as  ruinous  a  condition  as  Fort  Edward, 
it  is  a  small  bastion,  faced  with  stone,  and  built  on  an 
eminence  commanding  the  head  of  the  lake.  There 
are  some  barracks  in  it  in  which  the  troops  were  quar 
tered,  or  rather  one  barrack,  which  occupied  almost 
the  whole  space  between  the  walls.  At  a  little  distance 
from  this  fort,  and  to  the  westward  of  it,  is  the  spot 
where  the  Baron  Dieskau  was  defeated  by  Sir  William 
Johnson.  About  a  quarter  of  a  mile  further  to  the 
westward  the  small  remains  of  Fort  William  Henry 
are  to  be  seen  across  a  little  rivulet  which  forms  a 
swamp,  and  is  the  morass  mentioned  by  Sir  William 
Johnson  in  his  account  of  the  action  with  Dieskau. 
Fort  William  Henry  was  taken  last  year  by  Montcalm 
and  destroyed;  the  garrison,  consisting  of  four  hun 
dred  men  and  sixteen  hundred  others  that  were 
intrenched  without  the  fort,  capitulated;  a  consider 
able  part  of  these  men  were  murdered  by  the  Indians 
on  their  march  to  Fort  Edward,  after  they  had 
delivered  up  their  arms,  according  to  the  terms  of 
capitulation.  The  bay  in  which  Montcalm  landed  is 
seen  from  Fort  George ;  he  left  a  guard  of  five  hundred 
men  only  to  protect  the  boats  and  artillery  and 
marched  round  over  the  heights  to  come  to  the  south 
ward  of  Fort  William  Henry.  When  on  these  heights 
he  discovered  the  intrenched  body  without  the  fort, 
and  seeing  the  great  indiscretion  he  had  been  guilty 
of  in  leaving  so  small  a  force  to  guard  his  baggage  and 
boats,  he  rashly  marched  back  to  secure  them.  Had 
our  troops  attacked  Montcalm 's  five  hundred  men  they 
would  probably  have  defeated  them,  taken  his  cannon 
and  boats  arid  forced  him  to  surrender  with  his  whole 
army.  There  was  nothing  to  impede  the  attack  but 
want  of  enterprise  and  conduct  in  the  commanding 


APPENDIX  289 

officer.  The  neighborhood  of  Fort  George  abounds 
with  limestone  and  so,  indeed,  does  all  the  country  sur 
rounding  the  lake  and  all  the  island  in  it.  Their  rocky 
coast  and  bottom  contribute,  no  doubt,  to  the  clearness 
of  the  lake  water.  Never  did  I  see  water  more  trans 
parent,  and  to  this  transparency,  no  doubt,  must  be 
ascribed  the  excellency  of  the  fish  in  this  lake,  which 
much  exceed  the  fish  in  Lake  Champlain.  Lake  George 
abounds  with  perch,  trout,  rock,  and  eels. 

19th.  We  embarked  at  Fort  George  this  evening, 
about  one  o'clock,  in  company  with  General  Schuyler, 
and  landed  in  Montcalm's  bay  about  four  miles  from 
Fort  George.  After  drinking  tea  on  shore,  and  arrang 
ing  matters  in  our  boats,  we  again  embarked  and  went 
about  three  or  four  miles  further,  then  landed  (the 
sun  being  set),  and  kindled  fires  on  shore.  The  longest 
of  the  boats,  made  for  the  transportation  of  the  troops 
over  Lakes  George  and  Champlain,  are  thirty-six  feet 
in  length  and  eight  feet  wide ;  they  draw  about  a  foot  of 
water  when  loaded,  and  carry  between  thirty  and  forty 
men,  and  are  rowed  by  the  soldiers.  They  have  a 
mast  fixed  in  them  to  which  a  square  sail  or  a  blanket 
is  fastened,  but  these  sails  are  of  no  use  unless  with 
the  wind  abaft  or  nearly  so.  After  we  left  Montcalm 
bay  we  were  delayed  considerably  in  getting  through 
the  ice,  but,  with  the  help  of  tent  poles,  we  opened  our 
selves  a  passage  through  it  into  free  water.  The  boats 
fitted  up  to  carry  us  across  had  awnings  over  them, 
under  which  we  made  up  our  beds,  and  my  fellow 
travellers  slept  comfortably ;  but  this  was  not  my  case, 
for  I  was  indisposed  the  whole  night  with  a  violent 
sickness  at  my  stomach  and  vomiting,  occasioned  by 
an  indigestion.  We  left  the  place  where  we  passed  the 
night  very  early  on  the  20th. 

20th.  We  had  gone  some  miles  before  I  rose ;  soon 
after  I  got  out  of  bed  we  found  ourselves  entangled  in 
10 


290    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

the  ice.  We  attempted,  but  in  vain,  to  break  through 
it  in  one  place,  but  were  obliged  to  desist  and  force 
our  passage  through  another,  which  we  effected  with 
out  much  difficulty.  At  eight  o'clock  we  landed  to 
breakfast.  After  breakfast  the  general  looked  to  his 
small  boat ;  being  desirous  to  reach  the  landing  at  the 
north  end  of  Lake  George  we  set  off  together,  but  the 
general's  boat  and  the  other  boat,  with  part  of  the 
luggage,  soon  got  before  us  a  considerable  way.  After 
separating  we  luckily  fell  in  with  the  boat  bringing  the 
Montreal  and  Canada  mail,  by  which  we  were  informed 
that  the  west  shore  of  the  lake,  at  a  place  called  Saba- 
tay,  was  much  encumbered  with  ice,  but  that  there  was 
a  free  passage  on  the  east  side;  accordingly  we  kept 
along  the  east  shore  and  found  it  free  from  ice,  by 
which  means  we  got  before  the  general  and  the  other 
boat,  for  the  general,  who  was  foremost,  had  been 
delayed  above  an  hour  in  breaking  through  the  ice  and, 
in  one  place,  was  obliged  to  haul  his  boat  over  a  piece 
or  neck  of  land  thirty  feet  broad.  Dr.  Franklin  found 
in  the  Canada  mail,  which  he  opened,  a  letter  for  Gen 
eral  Schuyler.  When  we  had  weathered  Sabatay  point 
we  stood  over  for  the  western  shore  of  the  lake,  and  a 
mile  or  two  below  the  point  we  were  overtaken  by  the 
general,  from  whom  we  learned  the  cause  of  his  delay. 
Mr.  Chase  and  myself  went  on  board  the  general's 
boat  and  reached  the  landing  place  at  the  south  end 
of  Lake  George  near  two  hours  before  the  other  boats. 
Lake  George  lies  nearly  north  and  south,  or  rather, 
as  I  think,  somewhat  to  the  eastward  of  a  due  north 
course.  Its  shores  are  remarkably  steep,  high,  and 
rocky  (particularly  the  east  shore)  and  are  covered 
with  pine  and  cedar,  or  what  is  here  termed  hemlock; 
the  country  is  wild  and  appears  utterly  incapable  of 
cultivation;  it  is  a  fine  deer  country,  and  likely 
to  remain  so,  for  I  think  it  never  will  be  inhabited. 


APPENDIX  291 

I  speak  of  the  shores,  and  I  am  told  the  inland 
country  resembles  these.  The  lake,  in  its  greatest 
width,  does  not  exceed,  I  think,  two  miles;  the 
widest  part  is  nearest  the  north  end,  immedi 
ately  before  you  enter  the  last  narrows,  which 
are  not,  in  their  greatest  width,  above  half  a  mile. 
There  are  two  places  where  the  lake  is  considerably 
contracted,  one  about  the  middle  of  it,  the  other,  as  I 
have  said,  at  the  north  end;  this  last  gradually  con 
tracts  itself  in  breadth  to  the  size  of  an  inconsiderable 
river  and,  suddenly,  in  depth,  to  that  of  a  very  shallow 
one.  The  landing  place  of  Lake  George  is  a  few  yards 
to  the  southward  of  the  first  fall  or  ripple  in  this  river, 
through  which  the  waters  of  Lake  George  drain  into 
Lake  Champlain.  We  passed  through  this  ripple  and, 
though  our  boat  did  not  draw  above  seven  or  eight 
inches,  her  bottom  raked  the  rocks;  the  water  ran 
through  this  passage  about  as  swift  as  it  does  through 
your  tail  race.  From  the  landing  place  to  Ticonderoga 
it  is  three  miles  and  a  half.  The  boats,  in  coming 
through  Lake  George,  pass  through  the  passage  just 
described  and  unload  at  a  quarter  of  a  mile  below  the 
usual  landing  place.  Their  contents  are  then  put  into 
wagons  and  carried  over  to  Ticonderoga.  General 
Schuyler  has  erected  a  machine  for  raising  the  boats 
when  emptied  and  then  letting  them  gently  down  on 
a  carriage  constructed  for  the  purpose,  on  which  they 
are  drawn  overland  to  Ticonderoga,  on  Lake  Cham- 
plain,  to  carry  the  troops  over  the  last  mentioned  lake 
and  down  the  Sorel  into  the  river  St.  Lawrence.  These 
carriages  consist  of  four  wheels,  united  by  a  long  sap 
ling,  at  the  extremities  of  which  the  wheels  are  placed ; 
over  the  axletrees  is  fixed  a  piece  of  wood  on  which 
each  end  of  the  boat  is  supported  and  made  fast  by  a 
rope  secured  round  a  bolt  at  the  undermost  part  and 
in  the  centre  of  the  axletree.  This  bolt  is  made  of 


292    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

iron,  and  passes  through  the  aforesaid  pieces  of  wood 
and  the  axletree.  These  carriages  are  drawn  by  six 
oxen,  and  this  morning  (21st  instant)  I  saw  three  or 
four  boats  carried  over  upon  them.  Lake  George, 
from  the  south  end  of  it  to  the  landing  place  at  the 
north  extremity,  is  thirty-six  miles  long.  Its  average 
width  does  not,  I  think,  exceed  a  mile,  and  this  breadth 
is  interspersed  and  broken  by  innumerable  little  rocky 
islands  formed  of  limestone,  the  shores  of  which  are 
commonly  so  steep  that  you  may  step  from  the  rocks 
into  ten  or  twelve  feet  of  water.  The  season  was  not 
sufficiently  advanced  to  admit  of  catching  fish,  a  cir 
cumstance  we  had  reason  to  regret,  as  they  are  so 
highly  praised  by  the  connoisseurs  in  good  eating  and 
as  one  of  our  company  is  so  excellent  a  judge  in  this 
science.  There  are  no  considerable  rivers  that  empty 
themselves  into  Lake  George.  We  saw  some  brooks 
or  rivulets  which,  I  presume,  after  the  melting  of  the 
snows,  are  almost  dry.  The  lake  must  be  fed,  prin 
cipally  with  springs,  the  melting  of  snows  and  the  tor 
rents  that  must  pour  into  it  from  its  high  and  steep 
shores  after  rains.  As  there  is  no  considerable  river 
that  flows  into  it,  so  is  the  vent  of  its  water  into  Lake 
Champlain  very  inconsiderable.  In  summer  you  may 
step,  dry-footed,  from  rock  to  rock,  in  the  place  which 
I  have  called  the  first  ripple,  and  which  I  said  we 
passed  coming  out  of  Lake  George.  The  water  sud 
denly  shallows  from  a  great  depth  to  nine  or  ten  feet 
or  less.  This  change  is  immediately  discoverable  by 
the  great  change  in  the  color  of  the  water.  The  lake 
water  is  of  a  dark  bluish  cast,  and  the  water  of  the 
river  of  a  whitish  color,  owing  not  only  to  the  differ 
ence  of  the  depth,  but  the  difference  of  the  bottoms  and 
shores  which,  adjoining  the  river,  are  of  white  clay. 
21st.  I  took  a  walk  this  evening  to  the  saw  mill 
which  is  built  on  the  principal  fall  of  the  river  flowing 


APPENDIX  293 

from  Lake  George  into  Lake  Champlain.  At  the  foot 
of  this  fall,  which  is  about  thirteen  feet  high,  the  river 
is  navigable  for  batteaux  into  Lake  Champlain.  From 
the  saw  mill  to  the  place  where  the  batteaux  are  put 
on  carriages  to  be  carried  overland  the  distance  is  one 
mile  and  a  half.  I  saw  them  unload  a  boat  from  the 
carriage  and  launch  it  at  the  same  time  into  the  river ; 
this  was  performed  by  thirty-five  or  forty  men.  To-day 
they  carried  over  this  portage  fifty  batteaux.  I  saw 
the  forty-eighth  put  on  the  carriage.  A  little  to  the 
northwestward  of  the  saw  mill,  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river,  I  visited  the  spot  where  Lord  Howe  was  killed. 
At  a  small  expense  a  continued  navigation  for  batteaux 
might  be  made  between  the  Lakes  George  and  Cham- 
plain  by  means  of  a  few  locks.  General  Schuyler 
informed  me  that  locks,  sufficient  and  adequate  to  the 
above  purpose,  might  be  constructed  for  fifteen  hun 
dred  pounds  sterling.  There  are  but  four  or  five  falls 
in  this  river,  the  greatest  of  which  is  not  above  four 
teen  or  fifteen  feet.  But  the  general  informs  me  a 
much  more  advantageous  water  carriage  may  be 
opened  through  Wood  creek  which  falls  into  Lake 
Champlain  at  Skeensborough,  twenty-eight  miles  south 
of  Ticonderoga.  The  general  proposes  to  have  this 
creek  accurately  surveyed,  the  heights  ascertained, 
and  estimate  made  of  the  expense  of  erecting  locks  on 
Wood  creek  and  the  most  convenient  branch  which 
heads  near  it  and  falls  into  Hudson's  river.  If  this 
water  communication  between  Lake  Champlain  and 
the  province  of  New  York  should  be  perfected  there 
is  little  danger  of  the  enemy's  gaining  the  mastery  of 
Lake  Champlain,  or  of  their  ever  having  it  in  their 
power  to  invade  these  colonies  from  Canada  with  any 
prospect  of  success,  besides  the  security  which  will  be 
obtained  for  the  colonies  in  time  of  war  by  making 
this  navigation.  Trade,  during  peace,  will  be  greatly 


294    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

benefited  by  it,  as  there  will  then  be  a  continued  water 
communication  between  New  York  and  Canada  with 
out  the  inconvenience  and  expense  attending  the  port 
age  overland. 

22nd.  I  this  morning  took  a  ride  with  General 
Schuyler  across  the  portage,  or  from  the  landing  place 
at  the  bottom  of  Lake  George,  to  Ticonderoga.  The 
landing  place  is  properly  on  the  river  which  runs  out 
of  Lake  George  into  Lake  Champlain,  and  may  be  a 
mile  and  a  half  from  the  place  where  the  former  may 
be  said  to  terminate,  i.  e.,  where  the  lake  is  contracted 
into  a  river,  as  a  current  and  shallow  water.  This 
river,  computing  its  length  from  the  aforesaid  spot 
to  the  foot  of  the  falls  at  the  saw  mills,  and  its  wind 
ings,  which  are  inconsiderable,  is  not  more  than  four 
or  five  miles  long.  From  the  foot  of  the  saw  mill  falls 
there  is  still  water  into  Lake  Champlain;  it  is  at  the 
foot  of  these  falls  that  the  batteaux,  brought  overland, 
are  launched  into  the  water  and  the  artillery  and  the 
apparatus  belonging  to  it  are  embarked  in  them;  the 
stores,  such  as  provisions,  ball,  powder,  etc.,  are 
embarked  from  Ticonderoga.  At  sixty  or  seventy 
yards  below  the  saw  mill  there  is  a  bridge  built  over 
the  river  —  this  bridge  was  built  by  the  king  during 
the  last  war  —  the  road  from  the  landing  place  to 
Ticonderoga  passes  over  it  and  you  then  have  the 
river  on  the  right;  when  you  have  passed  the  bridge 
you  immediately  ascend  a  pretty  high  hill  and  keep 
ascending  till  you  reach  the  famous  lines  made  by  the 
French  in  the  last  war,  which  Abercrombie  was  so 
infatuated  as  to  attack  with  musketry  only  —  his  can 
non  was  lying  at  the  bridge  about  a  mile  or  something 
better  from  these  lines.  The  event  of  the  day  is  too 
well  known  to  be  mentioned;  we  lost  (killed  and 
wounded)  near  one  thousand,  six  hundred  men;  had 
the  cannon  been  brought  up  the  French  would  not  have 


APPENDIX  295 

waited  to  be  attacked  —  it  was  morally  impossible  to 
succeed  against  these  lines  with  small  arms  only,  par 
ticularly  in  the  manner  they  were  attacked ;  our  army 
passing  before  them  and  receiving  a  fire  from  the 
whole  extent ;  whereas,  had  it  marched  lower  down,  or 
to  the  northwest  of  these  lines  it  would  have  flanked 
them;  they  were  constructed  of  large  trunks  of  trees, 
felled  on  each  other,  with  earth  thrown  up  against 
them.  On  the  side  next  the  French  troops  they  had, 
besides  felling  trees,  lopped  and  sharpened  their 
branches  and  turned  them  towards  the  enemy;  the 
trunks  of  the  trees  remain  to  this  day  piled  up  as 
described,  but  are  fast  going  to  decay.  As  soon  as 
you  enter  these  lines  you  have  a  full  view  of  Lake 
Champlain  and  Ticonderoga  fort,  distant  about  a 
quarter  of  a  mile.  The  land  from  thence  gradually 
declines  to  the  spot  on  which  the  fort  is  built.  Lake 
Champlain  empties  itself  opposite  the  fort  and  runs 
south  twenty-eight  miles  to  Skeensborough.  Crown 
Point  is  fifteen  miles  down  the  lake  from  Ticonderoga. 
The  lake  is  nowhere  broad  in  sight  of  the  last  men 
tioned  place,  but  the  prospect  from  it  is  very  pleasing ; 
its  shores  are  not  as  steep  as  those  of  Lake  George; 
they  rise  gradually  from  the  water  and  are  covered 
more  thickly  with  woods  which  grow  in  good  soils,  or 
at  least  in  soils  much  better  than  can  be  seen  on  Lake 
George.  There  is  but  one  settlement  on  the  latter, 
at  Sabatay  point ;  I  understood  there  were  about  sixty 
acres  of  good  land  at  that  point.  Ticonderoga  fort  is 
in  a  ruinous  condition ;  it  was  once  a  tolerable  fortifica 
tion.  The  ramparts  are  faced  with  stone.  I  saw  a 
few  pieces  of  cannon  mounted  on  one  bastion,  more 
for  show,  I  apprehend,  than  service.  In  the  present 
state  of  affairs  this  fort  is  of  no  other  use  than  as  an 
entrepot  or  magazine  for  stores,  as  from  this  place  all 
supplies  for  our  army  in  Canada  are  shipped  to  go 


296    CHARLES  CAEEOLL  OF  CAEEOLLTON 

down  Lake  Champlain.  I  saw  four  vessels,  viz.,  three 
schooners  and  one  sloop ;  these  are  to  be  armed  to  keep 
the  mastery  of  the  lake  in  case  we  should  lose  St. 
John 's  and  be  driven  out  of  Canada ;  in  the  meantime 
they  will  be  employed  in  carrying  supplies  to  our 
troops  in  that  country.  Of  these  three  schooners  two 
were  taken  from  the  enemy  on  the  surrender  of  St. 
John's;  one  of  them  is  called  the  "  Eoyal  Savage, " 
and  is  pierced  for  twelve  guns;  she  had,  when  taken, 
twelve  brass  pieces,  I  think  four-  and  six-pounders; 
these  were  sent  to  Boston.  She  is  really  a  fine  vessel 
and  built  on  purpose  for  fighting;  however,  some 
repairs  are  wanted;  a  new  mainmast  must  be  put  in, 
her  old  one  being  shattered  with  one  of  our  cannon 
balls.  When  these  vessels  are  completely  rigged, 
armed  and  manned,  we  may  defy  the  enemy  on  Lake 
Champlain  for  this  summer  and  fall  at  least,  even 
should  we  unfortunately  be  driven  out  of  Canada. 
When  our  small  army  last  summer,  or  rather  fall  (in 
number  about  one  thousand  seven  hundred)  came  to 
Isle  aux  Noix  this  vessel  was  almost  ready  to  put  to 
sea,  she  wanted  only  as  much  to  be  done  to  her  as  could 
easily  have  been  finished  in  three  days,  had  the  enemy 
exerted  themselves.  Had  she  ventured  out  our  expe 
dition  to  Canada  must  have  failed  and  probably  our 
whole  army  must  have  surrendered,  for  she  was 
greatly  an  overmatch  for  all  the  naval  strength  we 
then  had  on  the  lake.  Had  Preston,  who  commanded 
at  St.  John's,  ventured  out  with  his  garrison,  consist 
ing  of  six  hundred  men,  and  attacked  our  people  at 
their  first  landing  he  would  in  all  probability  have 
defeated  them,  as  they  were  a  mere  undisciplined 
rabble,  made  up  chiefly  of  the  offings  and  outcasts  of 
New  York. 

23rd.    We  continued  this  day  at  the  landing  place, 
our  boats  not  being  yet  ready  and  fitted  to  carry  us 


APPENDIX  297 

through  Lake  Champlain.  General  Schuyler  and  the 
troops  were  busily  engaged  in  carting  overland  to  the 
saw  mill  the  batteaux,  cannon,  artillery  stores,  pro 
visions,  etc.,  there  to  be  embarked  on  the  navigable 
waters  of  Lake  Champlain  and  transported  over  that 
lake  to  St.  John's. 

24th.  We  this  day  left  the  landing  place  at  Lake 
George  and  took  boat  at  the  saw  mill.  From  the  saw 
mill  to  Ticonderoga  the  distance  by  water  is  about  a 
mile;  the  water  is  shallow,  but  sufficiently  deep  for 
batteau  navigation.  A  little  below  the  bridge  before 
mentioned  the  French,  during  the  last  war,  drove 
pickets  into  the  river  to  prevent  our  boats  getting 
round  from  the  saw  mill  to  Ticonderoga  with  the  artil 
lery;  some  of  the  pickets  still  remain,  for  both  our 
boats  struck  on  them.  Ticonderoga  fort  is  beautifully 
situated,  but,  as  I  said  before,  it  is  in  a  ruinous  con 
dition;  neither  is  the  place,  in  my  opinion,  judicially 
chosen  for  the  construction  of  a  fort;  a  fort  con 
structed  at  the  saw  mill  would  much  better  secure  the 
passage  or  pass  into  the  province  of  New  York  by  way 
of  Lake  George.  Having  waited  at  Ticonderoga  an 
hour  or  two  to  take  in  provisions  for  the  crews  of  both 
boats,  consisting  entirely  of  soldiers,  we  embarked  at 
eleven  o'clock  and  reached  Crown  Point  a  little  after 
three  with  the  help  of  our  oars  only.  Crown  Point 
is  distant  from  Ticonderoga  only  fifteen  miles.  The 
lake  all  the  way  from  one  part  to  another  is  narrow, 
scarce  exceeding  a  mile  on  an  average.  Crown  Point 
is  situated  on  a  neck  or  isthmus  of  land  on  the  west 
side  of  the  lake ;  it  is  in  ruins.  It  was  once  a  consider 
able  fortress  and  the  English  must  have  expended  a 
large  sum  in  constructing  the  fort  and  erecting  the 
barracks,  which  are  also  in  ruins.  A  great  part  of  the 
ditch  is  cut  out  of  the  solid  limestone  rock.  This  ditch 
was  made  by  blowing  the  rocks,  as  the  holes  bored  for 


298    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

the  gunpowder  are  plainly  to  be  seen  in  the  fragments. 
By  some  accident  the  fort  took  fire,  the  flames  com 
municated  to  the  powder  magazine,  containing  at  that 
time  ninety-six  barrels.  The  shock  was  so  great  as 
to  throw  down  the  barracks,  at  least  the  upper  stories. 
The  explosion  was  distinctly  heard  ten  miles  off,  and 
the  earth  shook  at  that  distance  as  if  there  had  been 
an  earthquake.  This  intelligence  I  received  from  one 
Faris,  who  lives  ten  miles  down  the  lake  and  at  whose 
house  we  lay  this  night.  The  woodwork  of  the  bar 
racks  is  entirely  consumed  by  fire,  but  the  stonework 
of  the  first  stories  might  be  easily  repaired  and  one 
of  these  barracks  might  be  converted  into  a  fine  manu 
factory.  The  erecting  of  these  barracks  and  the  fort 
must  have  cost  the  government  not  less,  I  dare  say, 
than  one  hundred  thousand  pounds  sterling.  The  lake 
is  narrow  opposite  the  fort  and  makes  a  bend  by  which 
the  vessels  passing  on  the  lake  were  much  exposed  to 
the  artillery  of  the  fort,  and  this  advantageous  situa 
tion  first  induced  the  French  and  then  the  English  to 
erect  a  fort  here.  The  French  fort  was  inconsiderable 
and  close  to  the  water;  the  English  fort  is  a  much 
more  extensive  fortification  and  farther  from  the  lake, 
but  so  as  to  command  it. 

25th.  We  set  off  from  Faris 's  at  five  o'clock  in  the 
morning.  If  Faris 's  information  may  be  relied  on, 
his  and  the  neighboring  lands  are  exceedingly  fine; 
he  told  us  he  had  reaped  thirty  bushels  of  wheat  from 
the  acre;  the  soil  appears  to  be  good,  but,  to  judge  of 
it  from  its  appearance,  I  should  not  think  it  so  fertile. 
Three  miles  north  of  Faris 's  the  lake  begins  to  con 
tract  itself  and  this  contraction  continues  for  six  miles 
and  is  called  the  narrows.  At  Faris 's  the  lake  is 
about  two  miles  wide.  We  breakfasted  in  a  small 
cove  at  a  little  distance  to  the  southward  of  the  Split 
Rock.  The  Split  rock  is  nine  miles  from  Faris  'a  house. 


APPENDIX  299 

At  the  Split  rock  the  lake  grows  immediately  wider  as 
you  go  down  it;  its  width  in  this  place  cannot  be  much 
short  of  seven  miles.  When  we  had  got  four  or  five 
miles  from  the  rock  the  wind  headed  us  and  blew  a 
fresh  gale,  which  occasioned  a  considerable  swell  on 
the  lake,  the  wind  being  northeast  and  having  a  reach 
of  twenty  miles.  We  were  constrained  to  put  in  at 
one  McCaully's,  where  we  dined  on  cold  provisions. 
The  wind  abating  about  four  o'clock,  we  put  off  again 
and  rowed  seven  miles  down  the  lake  to  a  point  of  land 
a  mile  or  two  to  the  southward  of  four  islands,  called 
the  Four  Brothers ;  these  islands  lie  nearly  in  the  mid 
dle  of  the  lake,  which  is  very  wide  in  this  place,  and 
continues  so  far  as  you  can  see  down  it.  Mr.  Chase 
and  I  slept  this  night  on  shore  under  a  tent  made  of 
bushes. 

26th.  We  set  off  this  morning  at  four  o'clock  from 
the  last  mentioned  point,  which  I  call  "  Commis 
sioners  '  Point. ' '  Wind  fair ;  a  pretty  breeze.  At  five 
o'clock  reached  Schuyler's  Island;  it  contains  eight 
hundred  acres  and  belongs  to  Montreson,  distant  seven 
miles  from  the  Four  Brothers.  Schuyler's  Island  lies 
near  the  western  shore.  The  lake  continues  wide;  at 
ten  o'clock  got  to  Cumberland  head,  fourteen  miles 
from  Schuyler's  Island.  Cumberland  head  is  the 
south  point  of  Cumberland  bay.  The  bay  forms  a  deep 
recess  on  the  western  side  of  the  lake ;  its  length,  from 
Schuyler's  Island,  at  th  epoint  of  land  opposite  to  it, 
to  Cumberland  head-land  is  fourteen  miles,  and  its 
depth  not  less  than  nine  or  ten  miles.  The  wind 
luckily  favored  us  until  we  reached  Cumberland  head ; 
it  then  ceased ;  it  grew  cloudy  and  soon  began  to  rain, 
and  the  wind  shifted  to  the  northeast.  We  break 
fasted  at  Cumberland  head  on  tea  and  good  biscuit, 
our  usual  breakfast,  having  provided  ourselves  with 
the  necessary  furniture  for  such  a  breakfast.  As  soon 


300    CHARLES  CAEEOLL  OF  CAEEOLLTON 

as  it  cleared  up  we  rowed  across  the  bay,  about  four 
miles  wide,  to  Point  aux  Eoches,  so  called  from  the 
rocks  of  which  it  is  formed.  Indeed  it  is  one  entire 
stone  wall,  fifteen  feet  high,  but  gradually  inclined  to 
the  northeast.  At  that  extremity  it  is  little  above  the 
water.  Having  made  a  short  stay  at  this  place  to 
refresh  our  men,  we  rowed  round  the  point,  hugged 
the  western  shore,  and  got  into  a  cove  which  forms  a 
very  safe  harbor.  But  the  ground  being  low  and 
swampy,  and  no  cedar  or  hemlock  trees,  of  the 
branches  of  which  our  men  formed  their  tents  at  night, 
we  thought  proper  to  cross  over  to  Isle  la  Motte,  bear 
ing  from  us  about  northeast,  and  distant  three  miles. 
The  island  is  nine  miles  long  and  one  broad.  The 
southwest  side  of  it  is  high  land,  and  the  water  is  deep 
close  in  shore,  which  is  rocky  and  steep.  We  lay  under 
this  shore  all  night  in  a  critical  situation,  for  had  the 
wind  blown  hard  in  the  night,  from  the  west,  our  boats 
would  probably  have  been  stove  against  the  rocks. 
We  passed  the  night  on  board  the  boats,  under  the 
awning  which  had  been  fitted  up  for  us.  This  awning 
could  effectually  secure  us  from  the  wind  and  rain,  and 
there  was  space  enough  under  it  to  make  up  four  beds. 
The  beds  we  were  provident  enough  to  take  with  us 
from  Philadelphia.  We  found  them  not  only  conven 
ient  and  comfortable,  but  necessary,  for  without  this 
precaution,  persons  travelling  from  the  colonies  into 
Canada  at  this  season  of  the  year,  or  indeed  at  any 
other,  will  find  themselves  obliged  either  to  sit  up  all 
night,  or  to  lie  on  the  bare  ground  or  planks.  Several 
of  the  islands  in  Lake  Champlain  have  different  claim 
ants,  as  patents  have  been  granted  by  the  French  gov 
ernment  and  the  government  of  New  York.  According 
to  the  present  division,  most  of  them,  indeed  all,  except 
Isle  aux  Noix,  are  in  the  colony  of  New  York. 

27th.    A  fine  morning.    We  left  our  nation's  station 


APPENDIX  301 

at  four  o'clock  and  rowed  ten  miles  to  Point  aux  Fer, 
so  called  from  some  iron  mines  at  no  great  distance 
from  it;  the  land  here,  and  all  the  adjacent  country, 
is  very  flat  and  low.  Colonel  Christie  has  built  a  house 
at  this  point,  which  is  intended  for  a  tavern ;  the  place 
is  judiciously  chosen.  A  small  current  begins  here,  and 
the  raf tesmen  are  not  obliged  to  row ;  after  they  bring 
their  rafts  to  Point  aux  Fer,  the  current  will  carry 
them  in  a  day  to  St.  John 's,  which  is  distant  from  this 
point  thirty  measured  miles.  Windmill  point  is  three 
miles  below  Point  aux  Fer;  and,  a  mile  or  two  below 
the  former,  runs  the  line  which  divides  the  province 
of  Quebec  from  New  York.  At  Windmill  point  the 
lake  begins  to  contract  itself  to  the  size  of  a  river,  but 
of  a  large  and  deep  one.  Opposite  to  this  point  the 
width  cannot  be  much  short  of  two  miles;  six  miles, 
below  Windmill  point,  you  meet  with  a  small  island 
called  Isle  aux  Tetes:  from  a  number  of  heads  that 
were  stuck  upon  poles  by  the  Indians  after  a  great 
battle  that  was  fought  between  them  on  this  island  or 
near  it.  At  this  island  the  current  is  not  only  percep 
tible  but  strong.  We  went  close  by  the  island  and  in 
shallow  water,  which  gave  us  a  better  opportunity  of 
observing  the  swiftness  of  the  current.  A  mile  or  two 
below  this  island,  we  breakfasted  at  a  tavern  kept  by 
one  Stodd.  At  Isle  aux  Tetes,  the  river  Eichelieu,  or 
St.  John's,  or  Sorel,  (for  it  goes  by  all  these  names) 
may  be  properly  said  to  begin.  It  is  in  this  place 
above  a  mile  wide,  deep,  and  the  current  considerable— 
its  banks  are  almost  level  with  the  water  —  indeed, 
the  water  appears  to  be  rather  above  the  banks,  the 
country  is  one  continued  swamp,  overflowed  by  the 
river  at  this  season;  as  you  approach  St.  John's  the 
current  grows  stronger.  Isle  aux  Noix  is  half  way 
between  St.  John's  and  Point  aux  Fer,  and  conse- 


302  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

quently  fifteen  miles  from  each;  we  passed  close  by 
it;  it  is  very  level  and  low,  covered  at  the  north  end 
with  hazel  bushes;  but  the  land  is  higher  than  the 
banks  of  the  river.  We  saw  the  intrenchments  thrown 
up  by  the  French  during  the  last  war,  and  the  remains 
of  the  pickets  driven  into  the  river,  quite  across  to  the 
island,  to  prevent  the  English  boats  from  getting  down 
to  St.  John's.  These  fortifications  induced  General 
Amherst  to  penetrate  into  Canada  by  Oswego  lake  and 
the  St.  Lawrence,  rather  than  run  the  hazard  of  being 
stopped  at  Isle  aux  Noix.  Indeed,  I  believe  he  would 
have  found  it  a  difficult  matter  to  force  his  way 
through  this  pass,  which  appears  to  me  of  great  con 
sequence  in  the  present  contest,  should  the  forces  of 
the  United  Colonies  be  obliged  to  evacuate  Canada; 
for  if  we  occupy  and  fortify  this  island,  drive  pickets 
into  the  river,  and  build  row  galleys  and  place  them 
behind  the  pickets,  or  between  the  little  islets  formed 
by  the  several  smaller  islands,  almost  contiguous 
to  Isle  aux  Noix,  the  enemy  will  not  be  able  to  pene 
trate  into  the  colonies  from  Canada  by  the  way  of 
Lake  Champlain.  It  is  certain  that  Amherst,  rather 
than  expose  himself  to  the  disgrace  of  being  foiled  at 
this  post,  chose  to  make  a  roundabout  march  of  sev 
eral  hundred  leagues,  and  encounter  the  rapids  of  the 
St.  Lawrence,  by  which  he  lost  some  of  his  boats  and 
several  hundred  men.  Having  passed  the  Isle  aux 
Noix,  the  wind  sprang  up  in  our  favor;  assisted  by 
the  wind  and  current,  we  reached  St.  John's  at  three 
o'clock.  Before  I  speak  of  this  fortress,  it  may  not 
be  improper  to  make  some  remarks  on  the  navigation 
of  Lake  Champlain,  the  adjacent  country,  and  its 
appearance.  The  navigation  appears  to  be  very 
secure,  as  there  are  many  inlets,  coves  and  harbors,  in 
which  such  vessels  as  will  be  used  on  the  lake  may  at 
all  times  find  shelter ;  the  water  is  deep,  at  least  wher- 


APPENDIX  303 

ever  we  touched,  close  in  with  the  land.  There  are 
several  islands  in  the  lakes,  the  most  considerable  of 
which  we  saw ;  the  principal  is  Grand  Isle ;  it  deserves 
the  appellation,  being,  as  we  were  informed,  twenty- 
seven  miles  long,  and  three  or  four  miles  wide.  Isle 
la  Motte  is  the  next  largest  and  Isle  de  Belle  Cour 
ranks  after  that.  Isle  la  Motte  we  touched  at;  the 
others  we  could  plainly  distinguish.  We  saw  several 
of  the  islands  on  the  eastern  shore  of  the  lake,  some 
of  which  appear  as  large  as  Poplar 's  island ;  but  having 
no  person  on  board  our  boats  acquainted  with  the  lake, 
we  could  not  learn  their  names.  The  lake,  on  an  aver 
age,  may  be  six  miles  broad ;  in  some  places  it  is  above 
fifteen  miles  wide,  particularly  about  Cumberland  bay 
and  Schuyler's  island;  but  in  others  it  is  not  three 
miles,  and  in  the  narrows  not  above  a  mile  and  a  half,  to 
judge  by  the  eye.  As  you  go  down  the  lake,  the  moun 
tains  which  hem  it  in  on  the  east  and  west  extend  them 
selves  wider,  and  leave  a  greater  extent  of  fine  level 
land  between  them  and  the  lake  on  each  shore.  Some 
of  these  mountains  are  remarkably  high.  In  many 
places,  on  or  near  their  tops,  the  snow  still  remains. 
They  form  several  picturesque  views,  and  contribute 
much,  in  my  opinion,  to  the  beauty  of  the  lake.  The 
snow  not  dissolving,  in  their  latitude,  at  the  end  of 
April  is  a  proof  of  their  height ;  the  distance  at  which 
some  of  these  mountains  are  visible  is  a  still  stronger 
proof.  Several  of  them  may  be  distinctly  seen  from 
Montreal,  which  cannot  be  a  less  distance  from  the 
most  remote  than  seventy  or  eighty  miles,  and 
I  am  inclined  to  think  considerably  further.  If 
America  should  succeed,  and  establish  liberty  through 
out  this  part  of  the  continent,  I  have  not  the  least 
doubt  that  the  lands  bordering  on  Lake  Champlain  will 
be  very  valuable  in  a  short  time,  and  that  great  trade 
will  be  carried  on  over  Lake  Champlain,  between 


304  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

Canada  and  New  York.  An  easy  water  communica 
tion  may  be  opened  at  no  great  expense,  (if  General 
Schuyler  be  not  mistaken)  between  the  cities  of  New 
York,  Montreal  and  Quebec,  and  several  other  places 
in  Canada.  Richelieu,  or  Sorel  river  from  Isle  aux 
Tetes  to  St.  John's,  would  be  esteemed  a  large  river 
even  in  Maryland.  The  navigation  of  it  between  these 
places  is  good,  for  the  current  is  not  so  strong  as  not 
to  be  stemmed  with  oars,  or  a  wind.  At  St.  John 's  the 
current  is  very  rapid,  and  continues  so,  sometimes 
more,  sometimes  less,  to  Chamblay,  distant  twelve 
miles  from  St.  John's.  Opposite  St.  John's,  I  think 
the  river  is  half  a  mile  wide. 

The  fortifications  of  St.  John's  were  not  injured  by 
the  siege  —  they  consist  of  earth  ramparts,  enclosed 
by  a  ditch  filled  with  water;  palisadoes,  closely  joined 
together,  are  fastened  at  the  base  of  the  ramparts,  and 
confined  by  the  weight  of  them  projecting  half  way 
over  the  ditch,  to  prevent  an  escalade.  There  are, 
properly  speaking,  two  forts  built  around  some  houses, 
which  were  converted  into  magazines  and  barracks ;  the 
communication  between  the  two  is  secured  by  a  strong 
enclosure  of  large  stakes  driven  deep  into  the  ground, 
and  as  close  as  they  can  stand  together.  A  ditch  runs 
along  this  fence.  The  houses  within  the  forts  suffered 
much  from  our  batteries  which  surrounded  the  forts, 
but  the  cannon  was  not  heavy  enough  to  make  any 
impression  on  the  works.  Want  of  ammunition  and 
provisions,  and  the  inclemency  of  the  season,  obliged 
the  garrison  to  surrender;  for  the  soldiers  were  con 
strained  to  hide  themselves  in  the  cellars,  which  are 
bomb-proof,  or  lie  behind  the  mounds  of  earth  thrown 
up  within  the  forts,  exposed  to  the  severity  of  the  cold 
and  rains  or  run  the  risk  of  having  their  brains  beaten 
out  in  the  houses  by  our  shot,  or  by  a  fragment  of  the 
walls  and  timbers,  and  bursting  of  the  bombs.  As  you 


APPENDIX  305 

go  down  the  river  from  Point  au  Fer  to  St.  John 's  you 
have  a  distant  and  beautiful  prospect  of  the  mountains 
on  either  side  of  the  lake.  After  passing  Isle  aux  Noix, 
you  have  a  fine  view  of  the  mountain  of  Chamblay,  on 
the  top  of  which  is  a  lake  stored  with  excellent  trout 
and  perch.  Having  dispatched  a  messenger  to  Mon 
treal  for  carriages  for  ourselves  and  baggage,  we 
crossed  the  river  to  go  to  a  tavern  on  the  east  side  of 
the  river,  about  a  mile  from  the  fort.  The  house 
belongs  to  Colonel  Hazen,  and  has  greatly  suffered  by 
the  neighborhood  of  the  troops.  There  is  scarcely  a 
whole  pane  of  glass  in  the  house,  the  window  shutters 
and  doors  are  destroyed  and  the  hinges  stolen;  in 
short,  it  appears  a  perfect  wreck.  This  tavern  is  kept 
by  a  French  woman,  married  to  one  Donaho,  now  a 
prisoner  in  Pennsylvania. 

28th.  We  remained  at  Colonel  Hazen 's  house.  Sev 
eral  batteaux  with  troop  arrived  this  day  and  yester 
day  evening  from  Ticonderoga,  and  most  of  them  fell 
down  the  river  this  day  to  Chamblay.  The  land 
appears  to  be  very  fertile  and  well  adapted  to  pas 
ture  ;  the  grass  began  to  grow  fast,  although  the  frost 
was  not  then  out  of  the  ground,  the  surface  only  being 
thawed. 

29th.  Left  Colonel  Hazen 's  house;  crossed  over  to 
St.  John's,  where  we  found  our  caleches  ready  to 
receive  us.  After  an  hour's  stay  spent  in  getting  our 
baggage  into  the  carts  and  securing  the  remainder, 
which,  for  want  of  carts,  we  were  obliged  to  leave 
behind  us,  we  set  off  from  St.  John's  for  La  Prairie, 
distant  eighteen  miles.  I  never  travelled  through 
worse  roads,  or  in  worse  carriages.  The  country  is 
one  continued  plain  from  St.  John 's  to  La  Prairie,  and 
two-thirds  of  the  way  uncultivated,  though  deserving 
the  highest  cultivation.  About  five  or  six  miles  from 
La  Prairie,  you  meet  with  houses  and  ploughed  lands, 


306    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

interspersed  with  meadows,  which  extend  as  far  as  you 
can  see;  all  this  tract  of  land  is  capable  of  being 
turned  into  fine  meadow,  and  when  the  country 
becomes  more  populous,  and  enjoys  a  good  govern 
ment,  I  doubt  not  it  will  be  all  drained  and  made  into 
excellent  meadow  or  pasturage.  Without  draining,  it 
will  be  impossible  to  cultivate  it  in  any  way.  You  have 
no  view  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  or  of  Montreal,  until  you 
come  within  three  or  four  miles  of  La  Prairie.  At  La 
Prairie,  the  view  of  the  town  and  the  river  and  the 
island  of  Montreal,  together  with  the  houses  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  form  a  beautiful 
prospect.  As  far  as  the  view  extends  down  the  river, 
you  discern  houses  on  either  side  of  it,  which  are  not 
divided  from  each  other  by  more  than  four  acres, 
and  commonly  by  not  more  than  two.  From  La 
Prairie  you  go  slanting  down  the  river  to  Montreal; 
this  passage  is  computed  six  miles,  though  the  river  in 
a  direct  line  across  from  the  eastern  shore  to  the 
town,  is  not  more  than  three  miles.  Ships  of  three 
hundred  tons  can  come  up  to  Montreal,  but  they  cannot 
get  up  above  the  town,  or  even  abreast  of  it.  The 
river  where  we  crossed  is  filled  with  rocks  and  shoals, 
which  occasion  a  very  rapid  current  in  several  places. 
We  were  received  by  General  Arnold  on  our  landing 
in  the  most  polite  and  friendly  manner;  conducted  to 
headquarters,  where  a  genteel  company  of  ladies  and 
gentlemen  had  assembled  to  welcome  our  arrival.  As 
we  went  from  the  landing  place  to  the  general 's  house, 
the  cannon  of  the  citadel  fired  in  compliment  to  us  as 
the  commissioners  of  congress.  We  supped  at  the  gen 
eral's,  and  after  supper  were  conducted  by  the  general 
and  other  gentlemen  to  our  lodgings  —  the  house  of 
Mr.  Thomas  Walker  —  the  best  built  and  perhaps  the 
best  furnished  in  this  town. 

May  llth.    Dr.  Franklin  left  Montreal  to-day  to  go 


APPENDIX  307 

to  St.  John's,  and  from  thence  to  congress.  The  doc 
tor's  declining  state  of  health,  and  the  bad  prospect 
of  our  affairs  in  Canada,  made  him  take  this  resolution. 

12th.  We  set  off  from  Montreal  to  go  to  La  Prairie. 
Mr.  John  Carroll  went  to  join  Dr.  Franklin  at  St. 
John's,  from  whence  they  sailed  the  13th. 

13th.  I  went  to  St.  John 's  to  examine  into  the  state 
of  that  garrison,  and  of  the  batteaux.  There  I  met 
with  General  Thompson  and  Colonel  Sinclair,  with 
part  of  Thompson's  brigade.  That  evening  I  went 
with  them  down  the  Sorel  to  Chamblay.  Major  Wood 
and  myself  remained  in  the  boat  when  we  got  to  St. 
Therese,  where  the  rapids  begin  and  continue  with 
some  interruptions  to  Chamblay.  Flat  bottomed  boats 
may  go  down  these  rapids  in  the  spring  of  the  year, 
when  the  water  is  high;  even  a  large  gondola  passed 
down  them  this  spring;  but  it  would  be  very  difficult, 
if  not  impossible,  to  bring  a  gondola  up  against  the 
stream.  I  much  question  whether  the  batteaux  could 
be  brought  up;  certain  it  is  that  the  labor  of  towing 
them  up  or  setting  them  up  the  current  with  setting 
poles  would  be  greater,  and  take  much  more  time  than 
carting  them  over  the  carrying  place  from  Chamblay 
to  within  three  miles  of  St.  Therese.  All  our  batteaux 
which  shoot  the  rapids  and  go  down  the  Sorel  to 
Chamblay  and  that  are  brought  up  again  to  St. 
John's,  are  carted  over  the  carrying  place  on  frames 
constructed  for  the  purpose.  It  was  proposed  by  some 
to  bring  a  gondola,  built  at  Chamblay,  over  land  three 
miles  into  the  Sorel,  three  miles  below  St.  Therese; 
others  were  of  opinion  it  could  be  more  easily  towed  up 
over  the  rapids.  Chamblay  fort  is  a  large  square  stone 
building,  with  square  towers  at  each  angle,  a  place 
intended  only  as  a  protection  against  the  savages.  I 
saw  the  holes  made  by  a  six  pounder,  when  it  was  taken 
by  Major  Brown.  Major  Stafford  might  have  held 


308    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

out  against  the  force  which  besieged  him  at  least  for 
some  days,  in  which  time  he  would  probably  have  been 
relieved  by  Carleton.  But,  by  Carleton's  subsequent 
behaviour,  when  he  made  an  attempt  to  go  to  the  relief 
of  St.  John's,  I  much  question  whether  he  would  have 
taken  more  effectual  measures  to  rescue  Stafford. 
The  taking  of  Chamblay  occasioned  the  taking  of  St. 
John's;  against  the  latter  we  should  not  have  suc 
ceeded  without  the  six  tons  of  gunpowder  taken  in  the 
former. 

14th.  I  returned  to  Montreal  by  La  Prairie;  the 
country  between  Chamblay  and  La  Prairie  is 
extremely  fine  and  level,  abounding  with  most  excel 
lent  meadow-ground  as  you  approach  the  St.  Law 
rence,  with  rich  arable  land  round  about  Chamblay. 
The  country  lying  between  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the 
Sorel  is  the  best  part  of  Canada,  and  produces  the 
most  and  best  wheat.  In  the  year  1771  four  hundred 
and  seventy-one  thousand  bushels  of  wheat  were 
exported  out  of  Canada,  of  which  two-thirds,  it  is 
computed,  were  made  in  the  Sorel  district. 

21st.  This  day  Mr.  Chase  set  off  with  me  for  the 
mouth  of  the  Sorel ;  we  embarked  from  Montreal  in  one 
of  our  batteaux,  and  went  in  it  as  far  as  the  point  of 
land  on  the  north  shore  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  opposite 
to  the  northern  extremity  of  the  Island  of  Montreal; 
here  the  wind  being  against  us  we  took  post  and 
travelled  on  the  north  side  of  the  St.  Lawrence  as  low 
down  as  La  Nore,  where  we  got  into  a  canoe,  and  were 
paddled  down  and  across  the  St.  Lawrence  to  our 
camp  at  the  mouth  of  the  Sorel ;  it  was  a  perfect  calm, 
the  distance  is  computed  at  nine  miles.  The  country 
on  each  side  the  »St.  Lawrence  is  level,  rich,  and 
thickly  seated;  indeed,  so  thickly  seated,  that  the 
houses  form  almost  one  continued  row.  In  going  from 
La  Nore  to  the  mouth  of  the  Sorel,  we  passed  by 


APPENDIX  309 

Brown's  battery,  (as  it  is  called)  although  it  never  had 
a  cannon  mounted  on  it.  To  this  battery  without  can 
non,  and  to  a  single  gondola,  ten  or  twelve  vessels, 
under  the  command  of  Colonel  Prescott  surrendered. 
Major  Brown,  when  the  vessels  came  near  to  his  bat 
tery,  sent  an  officer  on  board  requesting  Prescott  to 
send  another  on  shore  to  view  his  works.  It  is  difficult 
to  determine  which  was  greatest,  the  impudence  of 
Brown  in  demanding  a  surrender,  or  the  cowardice  of 
the  officer,  who,  going  back  to  Prescott,  represented 
the  difficulty  of  passing  the  battery  so  great  and 
hazardous,  that  Prescott  and  all  his  officers  chose  to 
capitulate.  Brown  requested  the  officer  who  went  on 
shore  to  wait  a  little  until  he  saw  the  thirty-two 
pounders,  which  were  within  a  half  a  mile,  coming 
from  Chamblay;  says  he,  "  If  you  should  chance  to 
escape  this  battery,  which  is  my  small  battery,  I  have 
a  grand  battery  at  the  month  of  the  Sorel,  which  will 
infallibly  sink  all  your  vessels."  His  grand  battery 
was  as  badly  provided  with  cannon  as  his  little  battery, 
for  not  a  single  gun  was  mounted  on  either.  This 
Prescott  treated  our  prisoners  with  great  insolence 
and  brutality.  His  behaviour  justifies  the  old  observa 
tion,  that  cowards  are  generally  cruel.  We  found  the 
discipline  of  our  camp  very  remiss,  and  everything  in 
confusion;  General  Thomas  had  but  lately  resigned 
the  command  to  Thompson,  by  whose  activity  things 
were  soon  put  on  a  better  footing. 

22nd.  We  left  our  camp  and  travelled  by  land  along 
the  eastern  bank  of  the  Sorel.  At  five  or  six  miles 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Sorel  the  country  grows  rich, 
and  continues  so  all  the  way  to  Chamblay.  Near  the 
mouth  of  the  river  it  is  very  sandy.  This  part  of  the 
country  is  very  populous,  the  villages  are  large  and 
neat,  and  joined  together  by  a  continued  range  of 
single  houses,  chiefly  farmers'  houses.  These  are  the 


310  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

rich  men  in  Canada;  the  seignieurs  are  in  general 
poor.  They  were  constrained  by  the  ordinance  of  the 
King  of  France  to  lease  their  lands  forever,  reserving 
two  dollars  for  every  ninety  acres,  and  some  other 
trifling  perquisites,  as  tools  for  grinding  wheat;  the 
tenants  being  obliged  to  have  their  wheat  ground  at 
their  seignieurs '  mills.  It  is  conjectured  that  the 
farmers  in  Canada  cannot  be  possessed  of  less  than  a 
million  sterling  in  specie ;  they  hoard  up  their  money 
to  portion  their  children;  they  neither  let  it  out  at 
interest,  nor  expend  it  in  the  purchase  of  lands. 
Before  we  left  the  camp  we  ordered  a  detachment  up 
to  Montreal,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  De  Haas, 
consisting  of  near  four  hundred  men,  to  reinforce  Gen 
eral  Arnold,  and,  in  conjunction  to  drive  off  a  party 
of  the  eighth  regiment,  who  with  three  hundred  and 
fifty  savages  and  some  Canadian,  had  taken  our  post 
at  the  Cedars,  through  the  cowardice  of  Major  Butter- 
field,  and  had  advanced  on  the  25th  instant  within 
fifteen  miles  of  Montreal. 

23rd.  We  got  early  this  morning  to  Chamblay, 
where  we  found  all  things  in  much  confusion,  extreme 
disorder  and  negligence,  our  credit  sunk,  and  no 
money  to  retrieve  it  with.  We  were  obliged  to  pay 
three  silver  dollars  for  the  carriage  of  three  barrels  of 
gunpowder  from  Little  Chamblay  river  to  Longueil, 
the  officer  who  commanded  the  guard  not  having  a 
single  shilling. 

24th.  Colonel  De  Haas's  detachment  got  into  Mon 
treal  this  evening;  the  day  before  we  also  arrived 
there,  having  crossed  the  St.  Lawrence  in  a  canoe  from 
Longueil. 

25th.  In  the  evening  of  this  day  Colonel  De  Haas's 
detachment  marched  out  of  Montreal  to  join  General 
Arnold  at  La  Chine ;  they  were  detained  from  want  of 
many  necessaries,  which  we  were  obliged  to  procure 


APPENDIX  311 

for  them,  General  Wooster  being  without  money,  or 
pretending  to  be  so.  The  enemy,  hearing  from  our 
enemies  in  Montreal,  of  this  reinforcement,  had 
retreated  precipitately  to  Fort  St.  Anne's,  at  the 
southern  extremity  of  the  Island  of  Montreal,  and  from 
thence  had  crossed  over  to  Quinze  Chiens,  on  the  north 
side  of  the  St.  Lawrence. 

29th.  We  left  Montreal  this  day  at  three  o  'clock,  to 
go  to  Chamblay,  to  be  present  at  a  council  of  war  of 
the  generals  and  field-officers  for  concerting  the  opera 
tions  of  the  campaign. 

30th.  The  council  of  war  was  held  this  day,  and 
determined  to  maintain  possession  of  the  country 
between  the  St.  Lawrence  and  Sorel,  if  possible ;  in  the 
meantime  to  dispose  matters  so  as  to  make  an  orderly 
retreat  out  of  Canada. 

31st.  Set  off  from  Chamblay  for  St.  John's;  all 
things  there  in  confusion ;  slept  at  Mrs.  Donaho  's. 

June  1st.  Crossed  over  this  morning  to  St.  John's, 
where  General  Sullivan,  with  fourteen  hundred  men 
had  arrived  in  the  night  of  the  31st  past;  saw  them 
all  under  arms.  It  began  to  rain  at  nine  o'clock  and 
continued  raining  very  hard  until  late  in  the  evening ; 
slept  at  Donaho 's. 

2nd.  Crossed  over  again  to  the  camp ;  took  leave  of 
General  Sullivan,  and  sailed  from  St.  John's  at  six  this 
morning,  with  a  fair  wind ;  got  to  Point  au  Fer  at  one 
o'clock;  got  to  Cumberland  head  about  seven  o'clock 
p.  M.  ;  set  off  from  thence  about  nine,  and  rowed  all 
night.  We  divided  our  boat's  crew  into  two  watches. 

3rd.  Breakfast  at  Willsborough ;  rowed  on  and 
received  despatches  by  Major  Hickes;  got  to  Crown 
Point  half -past  six  o'clock  p.  M.  Set  off  at  eight, 
rowed  all  night,  and  arrived  at  one  o'clock  in  the  night 
at  Ticonderoga,  where  we  found  General  Schuyler. 

4th.     Set   off   this   morning   at  five   with   General 


312    CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 

Schuyler,  for  Skeenesborough,  and  got  there  by  two 
o'clock.  The  lake  as  you  approach  Skeenesborough, 
grows  narrower  and  shallower ;  indeed,  within  five  or 
six  miles  of  Skeenesborough,  it  has  all  the  appearance 
of  a  river.  We  hauled  our  batteau  over  the  carrying 
place  at  Skeenesborough  into  Wood  Creek.  This  car 
rying  place  not  above  three  hundred  feet  across; 
a  lock  may  be  made  for  two  hundred  pounds  at 
Skeenesborough,  by  which  means  a  continued  naviga 
tion  would  be  effected  for  batteaux  from  one 
Chesshire's  into  Lake  Champlain.  Major  Skeene  has 
built  a  saw-mill,  gristmill,  and  a  forge  at  the  entrance 
of  Wood  creek  into  Lake  Champlain.  Set  off  from 
Skeenesborough  at  four  o  'clock,  rowed  up  Wood  creek 
ten  miles  to  one  Boyle's,  here  we  lay  all  night  on 
board  our  boat. 

5th.  Set  off  at  three  in  the  morning  and  continued 
rowing  up  the  creek  to  one  Chesshire's.  This  man 
lives  near  Fort  Ann,  built  by  Governor  Nichol 
son  in  1709.  The  distance  from  Skeenesborough  to 
Chesshire's  is  twenty-two  miles, —  by  land,  fourteen 
only;  from  this  it  appears  that  Wood  creek  has  many 
windings,  in  fact,  I  never  saw  a  more  serpentine  river. 
The  navigation  is  somewhat  obstructed  by  trees 
drifted  and  piled  across  the  creek;  however,  we  met 
with  little  difficulty  but  in  one  place,  where  we  were 
obliged  to  quit  our  boat  and  carry  it  through  a  narrow 
gut,  which  was  soon  performed  by  our  crew.  Two 
hundred  men  would  clear  this  creek  and  remove  every 
obstruction  in  six  days'  time.  This  measure  has  been 
recommended  by  the  commissioners  to  congress,  and 
congress  has  complied  with  the  recommendation,  and 
orders  will  soon  be  given  to  General  Schuyler,  to  clear 
it,  and  render  the  navigation  easy. 

I  set  off  with  General  Schuyler,  on  foot,  from 
Chesshire's  at  one  o'clock;  walked  seven  miles,  and 


APPENDIX  313 

then  met  horses  coming  from  Jones '  to  us.  Jones' 
house  is  distant  nine  miles  from  Chesshire's.  We  dine 
at  Jones 's,  and  rode,  after  dinner,  to  Fort  Edward ; — 
the  distance  is  computed  four  miles; — Mr.  Chase 
joined  us  this  evening.  He  took  the  lower  road  and 
was  obliged  to  walk  part  of  the  way. 

6th.  Parted  with  General  Schuyler  this  morning; 
he  returned  to  Fort  George  on  Lake  George.  We  rode 
to  Saratoga,  where  we  got  by  seven  o'clock,  but  did 
not  find  the  amiable  family  at  home.  We  were  con 
strained  to  remain  here  all  this  day,  waiting  the  arrival 
of  our  servants  and  baggage. 

7th.  Our  servants  and  baggage  being  come  up,  we 
left  Saratoga  this  morning  at  nine ;  took  boat  and  went 
down  Hudson's  river,  through  all  the  rapids,  to 
Albany.  The  distance  is  computed  thirty-six  miles. 
We  arrived  at  Albany  half  an  hour  past  five.  At  six 
o'clock  we  set  off  for  New  York  in  a  sloop,  which  we 
luckily  found  ready  to  sail ;  got  that  evening  and  night 
twenty-four  miles  from  Albany. 

8th.  Found  ourselves,  this  morning,  twenty-four 
miles  from  Albany: — at  seven  in  the  morning  wind 
breezed  up,  had  a  fine  gale,  and  got  below  the  high 
lands  ; —  a  very  great  run. 

9th.  Arrived  at  New  York  at  one  o'clock  p.  M.  ; 
waited  on  Generals  Gates  and  Putnam,  and  my  old 
acquaintance  and  friend,  Mr.  Moylan.  About  six 
o'clock  in  the  evening  got  into  General  Washington's 
barge,  in  company  with  Lord  Stirling,  and  was  rowed 
round  by  Staten  Island  and  the  Kilns,  within  two  miles 
of  Elizabeth-town,  where  we  got  by  ten  at  night. 

10th.  Set  off  from  Elizabeth-town  half-past  five. 
Got  to  Bristol  at  eight  o'clock  p.  M.  :  at  nine,  embarked 
in  our  boats,  and  were  rowed  down  the  Delaware  to 
Philadelphia,  where  we  arrived  at  two  o'clock  in  the 
night. 


.7,'  40  (6936s) 


YC  28022 


U.C.  BERKELEY 

loSaoaaau 


i 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


